In Glacialis Blog

Si vestri’ amo nos, quondam vel bis in December vos amo sumo a effrego ex tsunami mare of shopping mall clementia quod prodigo a iugo of hora tucked inside a atrum theatrum parumper feriae season movie. Gratiae ut suscipio procuratio procul Avalon Theatrum in Northwest D.C., quod a consortio per Lavatio Caput quod Canadian Legatio, OFB lector have an vicis pro subtilis is tunc Tuesday, December 18, ut theyre’ invited lego procul Avalon parumper discounted screening of ‘ Silicis, Legend of Silicis Richard,’ icon of icons in Canadian athletic lore.

“ut a tener puer ex puteulanus collar Québec, Uber had somnium ludo in Populus Hockey League. Subter supter suus mollis- orator, opus ordo extrarius exuro a perturbatio ut verto is tener officina opus in “The Rocket.” In 1950s pre- galea dies of hockey, adversus jugis distinguo, Silicis ludio ludius per teres, volo, quod incendia ut defied totus odds quod no him a legend.”

In Tuesday vesper, December 18 procul 830:, OFB lector ero validus video vidi visum ‘ Silicis’ pro discounted admission of $7 procul Avalon. Privatus in angustus dispensatio in 2005, ‘ Silicis’ has ludio ludius ut validus recenseo, quod suus DVD eram privatus in U.S. iustus yesterday. Nonnullus notabilis current quod quondam NHLers had in-screen persona in membrana: Sean Mediocris of Rangers; Pascal Dupuis of Thrashers; Ian Lapierriere of Avalanche; Vincent Lecavalier of Levitas; Stephane Quintal, formator Canadien; quod Mike Ricchi, quondam Partis quod Coyote.

Unus of Washingtons’ valde vetus movie domus, Avalon patefacio in February 1923 — “ ut patronus could vigilo a silens membrana pro triginta cents.” Per 2001, Avalon eram natu maximus adsidue operating movie domus in Lavatio. Nos moris’ invado pro triginta cents tunc Tuesday nox noctis, tamen puteus’ exsisto sessio in a ordo cinematic occasus parumper validus membrana. Additionally, Caput es opus ferreus praemunio pauci current quod quondam ludio ludius ut famulor, quod puteus’ have a stipes-movie frenum of Q & A super Silicis quod movie per lemma.

Nos may vel invite Imperator Weingarten quod Michael Wilbon.

Avalon ero screening ‘ Silicis’ nobis Tuesday nox noctis in Theatrum 1. Nos have 125 sessio servo procul discounted $7 admission. Totus OFB lector volens ut famulor Tuesday nox noctis must email nos suum nomen quod illud in suum secui. Donatus nostrum involvement per Caps quod Canadian Legatio huic vicis, sessio es certus praecessi velox. Nos operor non volo vos coegi in urbs in a libido tunc Tuesday nox noctis tantum impetro shut sicco. Sic occumbo nos a versus per vestri plenus nomen quod servo vestri sessio hodie: email@onfrozenblog.com

Quisnam doesnt’ amo captus in a valde flick per feriae season, quod huic instance, constipatus per centum of socius hockey diligo? Avalon ero ostendo ‘ Silicis’ sulum dies ex December 14 per 20, procul 315: quod 830:.

Avalon est locus procul5612 Iunctio Ave. NW; (202) 966-6000.

Reprehendo sicco ‘ Silicis’’ Juvenis movie sequor:

Cras, somnium of Roy Dupuis fans mos adveho verus: “ Silicis” est res privatus in DVD. ( sequor esthic pro vestri visum iucunditas) EGO eram validus video vidi visum is introspective of Maurice Richards’ vita iterum, quod movie habitum sursum puteus super multiple viewings. movie depicted nixor in Canalis inter Anglophones quod Francophones, pariter ut varius amicabiliter ordo, singulariter puteus. Is vultus of consentio succurro ut porro develop meus intelligendo of proventus. Ut an American per a Fanaticus-Canadian maritus, EGO eram iam conscius tensions, tamen is movie porro termino teres cuspis of problems.

Vero, meus ventus secui of movie eram utSean Mediocris “Bob Anethum” got fartim infligo ex him per Uber. Mediocris mos nunquam lucror ullus awards pro acting, tamen vel is videor convincing, forsit quoniam is eram effectus quis is usquequaque does: os off, pulsus guys inter, quod universe acting amo a jerk. Alius ludio ludius erant involved in membrana– Vincent Lecavalier quod Mike Ricci, ut nomen a iugo– sic illic eram a inhonestus of auctorizo ut is venit ut hockey scaena. (is didnt’ vulnero ut Dupuis has been skating utpote is eram three.)

Personally, EGO pocius vigilo membrana in Fanaticus per English subtitles; is added ut usus. Id’ ordo is movie sursum illic in hockey movie genre, alicubi inter “Mystery, Vae” quod “Miracle” ( quod certus superus quam “ plurimus Valuable Primate.”) Si vestri’ in mood parumper hockey movie quod volo video vidi visum quispiam alius “Slapshot,” reprehendo sicco “ Silicis”

Meus three astrum of seasons’ primoris vicus es:

(3) Pascal Leclaire — backstopper of BlueJackets, disbelievingly in lascivio litis, per a .940 servo percentage, 1.59 calx- obviam ( secundus- optimus in league) quodquinque shutouts. Hes’ meus Vezina Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus;

(2) Henrik Zetterberg — antea a magnificabiliter ustulo porro, iam a superstar, quod videlicet a magis dynamic talentum sursum frons pro Pennae quam Interfixus Datsyuk. Nunc futurus pensus sic?;

(1) Vincent Lecavalier — simplex having suus optimus season ut a pro, leagues’ plumbum ustulo per 32 pts.; dominion suus contradictio quod condita quis eram puto futurus a caput capitis- gravis somes of Telum’ porro in a primoris versus ut’ sic bonus is res parum quis contributions, si ullus, insisto. Hes’ meus Hart Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus.

Recolitus profero: Jarome Iginla (26 cuspis in 19 venatus) est having an MVP species season, tamen hes’ laboriosus in a nixor Flamma stipes. Quod Comcast, pro coming per per NHL CenterIce, NHL Network, quod Lisa Tumulosus.

Cado astrum:

(3) Lavatio Caput

(2) Proficiscor Andre Fleury

(1) Reebok

Midwest Mojo: Redivivus in Pullus quod St. Louis es ahead of passus quod infigo. Pium Kane est meus Calder Trophy victor pro prothoplastus vicus. Robert Lingua, per 19 cuspis in 20 venatus, quod skating a +7, est giving Hawks subtilis quidam quaedam quedam quidam uber, veteran gubernatio theyd’ spes pro in caput capitis versus. Etiam, Hawks have proventus — in suum tergum terminus. Theyve’ trado 61 calx, quod utriusque Khabibulin quod Lalime lusum sub-.900 servo percentages. Tamen secundum a decade of dreariness, Hawks es fun ut vigilo iterum. plumbum ustulo pro Puteulanus es greybeards Paul Kariya quod Keith Tkachuk. Exinde, suus’ a lunchpail outfit ut’ outworking suus inimicus. Illic’ multus of juvenis illius roster, sic is may fulcio ut season progrsses. Quod quis of Rudis, vindicatum of Jiri Novotny quod Kris Beech? They es duodeviginti obvius Occasus, quod 6-2-1 domi.

In Oriens, Montreal quod Insula have been attonitus prosperitas repono. Suus’ a pondera tentatio in Montreal: Habs iam have duodeviginti ludio ludius in geminus digits in ustulo. Quod memor quam everybody in hockey eram misericordia Isles secundum oris hora of solvo procurator, ut guys amo Jason Blake, Tom Venenum, quod Viktor Kozlov telum? Ted Nolan est opus suus secundus consecutive miracle in Isle.

Vires in Michaels. Mike Richards quod Mike Cammalleri have talea sicco take- is- ut--bank Totus Astrum venatus lectio. Richards (23 cuspis in 19 venatus) est Philadelphias’ plurimus convenienter quod dynamic tractare, a cuspis-per- venatus ludio ludius quisnam is season has transitioned ex spondeo youngster ut elite, caput- species talentum. Suus three shorthanded procerus plumbum league. Cammalleri (12 calx, 7 succurro) est orsa ut vultus multus amo Occasus placitum’ poema poematis of Bellicus St. Louis.

Jolly Ole Uber St. Nik. Nik Antropov est sanus quod lascivio virtually a cuspis-a- venatus hockey pro Folium, quod skating a +9. Quisnam knew is could? Is had 33 cuspis permaneo season, quod a altus of 16 calx quod 29 succurro in 2002-03. Obviously hes’ in passus parumper tutela annus. Alex Kovalev est in passus pro 40 calx. Meanwhile, Jonathon Cheeechoo has iustus 3 calx in 21 venatus pro Partis. Jaromir Jagr, Im’ tristis ut opinio, est in passus pro 16 calx is season, quod Sarcalogos Drury (3 calx!) vel minor. Etiam, suum Rangers have serio fervens sursum in Atlantic.

Jeremy Roenick — memor him? — est outscoring Mike Modano, Brendan Shanahan, Thomas Vanek, Drury, Sarcalogos Higgins, Vepres Gionta, quod Pium Mara. Unus of causa Tampa eram validus supersto damnum of Dan Boyle pro ultum of seasons’ primoris vicus eram lascivio of Paul Ranger: 4 calx, a +11, quod an validus pensator in vox lascivio cuspis.

Is certus videor tanquam Peter Forsberg has ludio ludius suus permaneo venatus in NHL, quod forsitan in pro hockey period. Tunc subsisto, Aula of Laus. Minor liberaliter sidelined, in meus ratio, es Scott Niedermayer quod Teamu Selanne, quisnam videor ut volo permitto suum Ducks teammates ut umerus humerus mane ordinarius seasons’ bumps quod livor pro forsitan rejoining lemma pro tendo run quod postseason. Im’ rumex, tamen hockey ludio ludius lascivio hockey ut hockey satus, non perfectus. Vacuus lemma, vallo champion Ducks es tenura is una quinymo puteus.

Guy Carbonneau quod Ted Nolan partis Jack Insuadibilis Trophy pro seasons’ primoris vicus, ex meus vantage. Recolitus profero: Ken Hitchcock.

Quis would a manus manus of hockey bloggers careo divinatio pro novus NHL season?

Nos dont’ vindicatum potior aut crystallus ball vel spys’ eyes inside palaestra castra of 29 alius stipes, tamen nos sententia is vires exsisto benevolens ut nostrum lector ut congero a album of offseason ( quod tardus permaneo season) ludio ludius tractus, in a concisus lima, quod have aliquantulus fun vitualamen sursum nullus- quoque-accountable “ pollex Sursum” vel “ pollex Down” forecasts pro totus 30 teams.

Basically, a team meritus a “ pollex sursum” si nos sententia suus manuevering quod maturation innutum ut itd’ amplio super suus 2006-07 cuspis numerus. Stipes ut “ subsisto pat” vel engineered boneheaded volo quod/ vel inedicabilis, altus- terminus solvo procurator farewells erant awarded “ pollex down.”

Sic weve’ dummodo panton “primer” a puckhead could postulo hic.

Praeter beer.

Team	Comings	Iens	Juvenis est Servo	Verdict
	Mathieu Schneider	Selanne quod Neidermeyer ( pro iam?), Pulvis Penner	Bobby Ryan
	Eric Perrin, Ken Klee, Todd Niveus	Scott Mellanby, Crur Hnidy, Glen Metropolit, Keith Tkachuk, Denis Harniis, Eric Belanger,	Bryan Parum(?)
	Glen Metropolit, Aaron Pupillus pupilla, Peter Schaefer	Crur Donovan	Res Ferito (?)
	Jocelyn Thibault	Fere sulum	Dan Paille, Drew Baculus
	Adrian Aucoin, David Vigoratus, Cory Sarich, Owen Nolan	Tony Inter, Jeff Amicus, Romanorum Hamrlik, Brad Stuart, Andrei Zyuzin	Eric Nystrom (?)
	Res Runco	Jack Johnson, Anson Currus, David Tanabe	Nullus	Hmm . . .
	Brent Spoel, Robert Lingua, Sergei Samsanov, Andrei Zyuzin, Yanic Perreault	Michal Manus manus, Adrian Aucoin, Peter Vinculum, Jason Cullimore	Jonathon Toews, Pium Kane, Jack Solers
	Scott Hannan, Ryan Smyth,	Ken Klee, Pierre Turgeon, Ossi Vaananen, Pium Brisebois	Nullus
	Michael Peca, Jiri Novotny	Vepres Boucher, Bryan Berard	Gilbert Brule, Insulto Orichalcum (?)	Hmm . . .
	Todd Fedoruk	Res Barnaby, Jon Klemm, Eric Lindros, Ladislav Nagy, Pium Stefan, Darryl Sydor	Niklas Grossman
	Vepres Rafalski, Dallas Drake	Robert Lingua, Todd Bertuzzi, Kyle Calder, Danny Vestigium, Mathieu Schneider	Igor Grigorenko
	Crusta Acidus, Joni Pitkanen, Pulvis Penner, Denis Grebeshkov, Dick Tarnstrom	Ryan Smyth, Joffrey Lupul, Petr Sykora, Jason Smith	Sam Gagner, Ryan OMarra’ (?)	Hmm . . .
	Uber Zednik, Radek Dvorak, Tomas Vokoun	Ed Belfour, Alex Auld, Bellicus Gelinas, Sarcalogos Memor, Todd Bertuzzi	Nullus
	Brad Stuart, Tom Preissing, Kyle Calder, Michal Manus manus, Ladislav Nagy	Mathieu Garon, Jamie Heward, Tom Kostopoulos, Jamie Lundmark, Aaron Miller	Jonathon Bernier, Jack Johnson
	Eric Belanger, Sean Tumulosus,	Ratio Fernandez, Todd Niveus	Benoit Fomentum (?)	Hmm . . .
	Romanorum Hamrlik, Bryan Smolinski, Tom Kostopoulos	Crusta Acidus, Radek Bonk, Sergei Samsanov, Mike Johnson	Tutela Pretium, Kyle Chipchura, Andrei Kostitsyn
	Bellicus Gelinas, Radek Bonk	Fere sulum	Villa Koistinen, Kevin Klein (?)
	Fastidiosus Zubrus, Vitali Vishnevski, Kevin Weekes, Karel Rachunek	Scott Gomez, Vepres Rafalski	Nicklas Bergfors (?)
	Bill Guerin, Mike Socius, Ruslan Fedotenko	Fere sulum	Sean Bergenheim (?)
	Scott Gomez, Sarcalogos Drury	Michael Nylander, Karel Rachunek, Res Runco, Kevin Weekes, Brad Isbister	Proficiscor Staal, Ryan Callahan (?)
	Tondeo Donovan, Luke Richardson, Denis Harniis	Mike Socius, Tom Preissing, Peter Schaefer, Oleg Saprykin	Nick Foligno, Vepres Lee
	Daniel Concisus, Joffrey Lupul, Jason Smith, Bellicus Biron, Scott Upshall, Kimo Timonen	Peter Forsberg, Joni Pitkanen, Kyle Calder, Robert Esche, Todd Fedoruk, Mike York	Braydon Coburn, Ryan Parentis
	Alex Auld, Radim Vrbata, Niko Kapanen, Mike York	Owen Nolan, Jeremy Roenick, Velum Joseph, Mike Ricci	Peter Mueller
	Darryl Sydor, Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora	Eric Cairns, Joel Kwiatkowski, Jocelyn Thibault, Michel Ouellet, Nils Ekman, Josef Melichar	Kristopher Letang
	Craig Flumen, Jeremy Roenick	Scott Hannan, Bill Guerin, Vesa Toskala	Nullus	Hmm . . .
	Paul Kariya, Keith Tkachuk	Radek Dvorek, Dallas Drake, Glen Metropolit, Jamie Flumen	Erik Johnson
	Michel Ouellet, Sarcalogos Memor, Jan Hlavac	Cory Sarich, Ruslan Fedotenko, Eric Perrin	Karri Ramo (?)
	Jason Blake, Vestigium Campana, Vesa Toskala	Jeff ONeill’, Michael Peca, Yanic Perreault, J.S. Aubin	Jiri Tlusty (?)
	Brad Isbister, Ryan Crur	Bryan Smolinski, Brent Sopel, Jan Bulis, Rory Fitzpatrick,	Luc Bourdon (?)
	Michael Nylander, Viktor Kozlov, Tom Venenum	Fastidiosus Zubrus, Kris Beech, Bryan Muir, Jiri Novotny	Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Viridis, Tomas Flesichmann

OFB lector Sarcalogos Meza benevolens admonitio mihi is oriens of frigus vicis, quod imprimis of November 22, 2003 — balanus of Heritage Ordo foras hockey venatus inter Montreal quod Edmonton. Sarcalogos est a bonus alio ut sermo ut super ut vicis, seeing ut is viator ex Lavatio usque ut Alberta ut weekend sumo in venatus in lacertus deck of Edmontons’ Res publica Stadium. EGO vividly memor him orbis mihi in suus cell phone ex illud glacialis environs. EGO asked Sarcalogos communico me suus recordatio illius ingens Imbuo nox noctis.

league nimirum lego tardus November balanus questio optimally gelu quod siccus valetudo pro venatus. Is got gelu totus vox. Ut Imbuo meridianus, tempero erant in singulus digits. Pro vesper eram perfectus, Habs quod Oilers erant skating in aer ut pervenio 28 Fahrenheit.

“ nox noctis pro, is snowed in Edmonton,” Sarcalogos repeto. “is snowed satis quod is eram gelu satis ut unus of Zambonis necessarius pro venatus glacialis up.”

Illic erant duos venatus pro mane hiberna vigoratus sumo in ut dies, an Vetus Vicis unus featuring ’70s quod ’80s Oilers quod Canadians valde tunc a superstes’ duco unus inter contemporary teams postea. Ludio ludius pro utriusque venatus erant validus ut skate sicco onto makeshift glacies superficies ex suum obfirmo cella.

EGO asked Sarcalogos quam is outfitted sui pro suus forte a centum feet altus in gelidus Alberta nox noctis. “ego eram in hiberna socks, longjohns, Levis, duos shirts, a gravis officium ski coat, gloves, a vix, quod a laneus cap,” is said. “ res EGO memor plurimus super formo ut nox noctis erant locus, men quod women, quod vel suum liberi, loricatus in hiberna coveralls ut vos plerumque animadverto molior opus in ut theyre’ opus foras in extremus hiberna”

Is had alius vivid recordatio ex suus glacialis stadium usus. “ego didnt’ emo levamen ex concessions, quoniam trinus ut restrooms postulo . . . puteus, in totus illud layers totus nostrum erant in, is iustus took quoque porro” is rideo risi risum.

Is wasnt’ iustus testis largior layered — Montreal netminder Jose Theodore praeclarus added a touque ut caput capitis of suus calx os experior quod defendo tundra gelu, quod plures of skaters videor vello turtlenecks usque suum ears.

league instruo duos amplus visum screens procul utriusque ends of Res publica pro testis. Sarcalogos said ut screens erant maximus illi amo him sessio sursum altus insequor lascivio. “adeo of stadium videor insequor lascivio in illud screens,” Sarcalogos said. “suum fanaticus, per sulum vado, videor identical ut perturbatio vos utor a Canadian turba in a typical pulvis”

EGO asked Sarcalogos ut identify a perpetuus statua illius Novembers’ glacialis epulum. “vel in lacertus deck qua EGO eram, vos could animadverto tripudium in visio of Vetus- Vicis Totus Astrum, suum fruor captus rutila quod pulsus snow off of lascivio superficies. Is iustus admonitio vos of hockeys’ radix quod ut venatus’ maximus nomen videor ut firmus a reverto ut lemma”

A compelling mane storyline in 2007 solvo procurator season est telum’ race within Atlantic divortium — truculenter similis solvo- prodigo dies praevius ut NHLs’ 2004 obfirmo — dum Northeast divortium videor impleo futurus picked tersus.

Flyers quod GM Paul Holmgren signaled their intention of carus revamping suum roster ahead of permaneo weekends’ Viscus Draft, ut they largior opprimo parumper iugum of six- annus pactum pro nuper us Predators Kimmo Timonen ($38 million) quod Scott Hartnell ($25 million). Ut is they added UFA cardo Daniel Concisus in Sunday, obfirmo him sursum pro duodeviginti annus procul $6.5 million per.

Quoque yesterday Holmgren traba sicco spondeo young Finnish tutor Joni Pitkanen pro Oilers’ caput Jason Smith quod in- iterum, off- iterum volatilis Joffrey Lupul. Si illic’ unus res ut exsisto mico ex totus sudo-changing on Prolixus Vicus is offseason, suus’ ut obfirmo cella chemistry permaneo season eram aliquantulus of a weakpoint. Another vires exsisto: Holgren quod Flyers’ procuratio est abyssus- curvus in prodigo suum via out of it. 

Non futurus diffusus per a divortium certantibus — vel quisquam, illo res — Rangers fantasy’ league GM Glen Sather ponied sursum a combined $85 million in Sunday parumper iugum of no. 1.5 centers, Sarcalogos Drury and Scott Gomez. Drury has 70 calx suus preteritus duos seasons, quod ut talis forsitan est signum sui a legio 30- calx guy ( utique in 110-pt. Sabre stipes), tamen in six of suus duodeviginti seasons he scored fewer quam 25. Is volvit 31 is Ales. Gomez est coming off a 13- calx campaign in Jersey, quod in six of suus septem magnus-league seasons has deficio ut ustulo 20 calx. Sic haud admiratio is meritus a $7-million- pupa-a- annus paciscor. Utique is can exsisto said ut dum per Diabolus Gomez skated in an obscoena modestus ratio, quod iam in Prolixus, hell enjoy’ aliquantum more freedom. Like Concisus’ paciscor in Philly, illud pro novus Rangers’ centers tendoputeus in tunc decade.       

Drury quod Gomez es magnificabiliter hockey ludio ludius, and they are eximius pecuniosus iam. Tamen they quoque videor futurus valde similis ut caliber of ludio ludius cuius July pactum drove NHL in financial panic a mereo three annus abhinc.

Pittsburgh promptus believes that its Stanley Cup aspirations require an anti-youth movement: its three most significant roster additions, beginning with February’s trade deadline and continuing into free agency, are Gary Roberts, Petr Sykora (the decent-but-in-decline one), and Darryl Sydor.   

I have a difficult time working up any sympathy for Jersey DevilLou, but in just the past couple of years he’s watched the likes of Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer, Petr Sykora, and Scott Gomez walk away, uncompensated for. He’s got a brand new building to fill showcasing hockey that this morning appears, if possible, even more boring than that of the past six or seven years.  

But to the extent we should feel any sympathy for any other Eastern conference rival (and I’m not suggesting we should), take a look at the roadkill carcass on Long Island. Gone are Ryan Smyth, Tom Poti, Jason Blake, Viktor Kozlov, and (mercifully) Alexei Yashin. Team Wang did add Jon Sim. (That’s no doubt got the phones of the Isles’ sales staff buzzing.) Remember last summer when UFA signee Brendan Witt talked of something special being built on Long Island? It’s not a long overdue replacement for Nassau Mausoleum, and it’s sure not a postseason hockey club in ‘07-’08.  

Meanwhile, things sure are acquisition-quiet in the Northeast, which certainly is better than being the road pickings on the Isle. For weeks all I heard among the ‘Net chatter was how Bob Gainey and Montreal were posied to make a big overhaul of a middling roster. That may still happen, buit it’ll take trades to achieve it — the high-end free agent movement passed them by unacted-upon. Free agent “Bridesmaids” is the operative word out of Montreal early this week. Gainey lost the game’s most fearsome point presence in Sheldon Souray and late this afternoon replaced him with Roman Hamrlik. Downgrade.   

The Leafs, like the Habs, were forecast to be offseason roster movers and shakers. They came out of the gate Sunday and signed Jason Blake. His 40 goals last season were a breakthrough. Or a Brady Anderson flash-in-the-pan. He turns 34 this September.

The Bs missed the playoffs and have also sat still. Ottawa is in the best shape of anybody in the Northeast, having drafted so well at the top, middle, and late in drafts, up front and on the blueline. Still, late Monday it appeared as if the Eastern champs were slated to lose quality blueliner Tom Preissing. The Sens have been picked at the past two summers by free agency and are now joined by Buffalo as victims of their standings success.  

If the Islanders have a rival in roster-gutting, it’s Buffalo. Last season the Sabres were lauded for their four-line depth. They’ll need emergency reserves in ‘07-’08, cause they’ve lost 150 points down the middle. Sad, isn’t it?

The Southeast has, I think, showcased only one headline player in free agency thus far, and that’s who it needed to be: we in D.C.  

Immediately after Hershey’s 4-2 win over Hamilton Saturday night, evening the Calder finals at a game apiece, Bears’ coach Bruce Boudreau was asked if he was going to pursue a union membership card, as he’d worked so hard to overhaul his team in short order.

It was a remarkable transformation. Gone were were the passive PKers of Friday night, replaced by an in-your-face crew that constantly pressured Bulldogs on the puck. Gone, too, was Friday’s resignation to perimeter play, making life easy for Hamilton netminder Carey Price. Instead Boudreau’s Bears played the role of most inhospitable hosts, crashing Carey Price’s cage on virtually every shift, and defending Freddie Cassivi’s with vigor and venom.

Gone was Friday night’s Sunday morning chapel sound at Giant Center, replaced by a roof-raising revival of raucous believers. And gone, too, is any sense that the Bears would quietly and quickly surrender their champion’s status.

More than an hour before the game, Bears Louis Robataille and Mike Green casually flung pucks back and forth to one another out on the ice in their flip flops, smiling as boys at games do when little in the world seems at stake. But after Friday night’s thrashing, and the specter of falling in an 0-2 hole to a team renowned for its road work, and the series next heading to Hamilton for three straight, how could these beleaguered Bears goof off? Call it a champion’s swagger, call it the confidence associated with finishing as the best team during the regular season, but these Bears Saturday night quickly and convincingly demonstrated their ability to dust themselves off from defeat and return to the business of reclaiming their Calder Cup.

“This is gonna be a hell of a series,” Boudreau claimed after the game.

In a thorough reversal of roles, the 0-for-9 power play collar was worn by Hamilton Saturday night. And Hershey found some success on its power play, potting two tallies and moving the puck with confidence and authority on numerous other manpower advantages.

But at even strength the Bears dictated the game’s pace as well. Hamilton coach Don Lever acknowledged the ferocity of Hershey’s effort. “That was a desperate hockey team out there,” he said. “That’s why they’re the best in the league.”

“That’s the hardest we’ve been forechecked all year . . . [and] it wasn’t just one guy finishing checks, all their guys finished their checks.”

The gospel according to Boudreau Saturday night called for his flock to put a laying of the non-healing hands (and sticks) on Hamilton Bulldogs at every turn. Two thunderous Bears’ checks along the Hamilton endboards led directly to two Hershey tallies.

The daunting reality ahead for Boudreau and his team is that with their best effort Saturday, they remained in a tight affair in a must-win game. “We had to play our butts off,” he admitted in the post-game press conference. “We were a lot more determined. I hope we can go better, but I don’t know if we can.”

The seemingly lone commonality from Friday to Saturday was a heavy workload for Carey Price. He’s faced 86 shots through two games. Lever largely dismissed the stat as carrying little meaning in light of so many Bears’ shots coming from the perimeter, but as the series heads into high-stakes showdowns, does he really want his 19-year-old rookie netminder seeing that much rubber? Going forward, you have to think Price is also going to see a lot more Hershey Bears camping out in front of and charging at his crease.

Opening Faceoff Calder Cup Final Game 2

Tenute back in the lineup

Bears’ first goal

(Continued)

How ironic it is to suggest that the 2007 Calder Cup Finals pit the farm clubs for the Caps and Canadiens with history being represented by Washington. Tonight at Giant Center the Hershey Bears, AHL members since 1938, will make their 20th appearance in the Calder Cup Finals, an American Hockey League Record, and face the Habs’-affiliated Hamilton Bulldogs, competing in just their 11th season in the ‘A.’ The Bears, the reigning Calder Cup champions, will try to become the first team to repeat since the 1991 Springfield Indians. 

The Bears will seek to reverse an eye-opening trend carried off by Hamilton this spring: in all three of their playoff series the Bulldogs have bested higher-seeded teams. They have prevailed the past five weeks with crunch-time courage — Hamilton has won a lot of close hockey games this postseason — and stellar netminding from blue-chip prospect Carey Price.

In the American League’s Eastern Conference Finals, Hershey had little trouble besting Manchester’s Jason LaBarbera, voted the best goalie in the league this season. But Carey Price, youthful though he is (the 5th pick overall by Montreal in the 2005 Entry Draft), is no journeyman talent. This postseason he is 11-5 with a 2.13 goals-against and a .929 save percentage.

Hamilton likely will not overwhelm Hershey’s blueline with waves of offensive pressure. During the regular season, there wasn’t a single Bulldog ranked in the American League’s top 40 scorers (Duncan Milroy was 43rd, with 25 goals and 33 asists in 64 games). There is balance up front: four Bulldogs tallied 50-plus points (Milroy, Corey Locke, Mikhail Grabovski, and Andrei Kostitsyn).

And in the postseason, this modest offensive output has held true to form: a lot of Hamilton’s wins have been of the 3-2, 2-1, even 1-0 variety. Kyle Chipchura, another Habs’ first-rounder, leads Hamilton in scoring this postseason, but he ranks just 19th overall. Keep in mind that Hamilton has played 17 playoff games, three more than the Bears. The Bears, meanwhile, fairly litter the league’s list of top postseason scorers: Scott Barney is 3rd, Flash is 5th, Kyle Wilson is 8th. Mike Green is outscoring all of Hamilton’s skaters.    

Caps’ fans will also recognize a familiar face from the 2005-06 NHL season in a Hamilton sweater tonight: Mathieu Biron. He had a very solid season for Hamilton, finishing 6th on the team in scoring. (Continued)

Already the Doom and Gloom set is sure that the Caps are longshot suitors for super-talented UFAS this summer. Their thinking is: no one would want to come and live here, and play for this cursed franchise, when offers from the league’s elite and non-rebuilding are considered. Their conclusion is that Caps’ management is necessarily in a position of having to “overpay” guys to lure them here. And even that, most often, won’t be good enough. I wonder.

I make no pretense that the Caps are on level skating with the negotiating likes of say the Rags or Wings (although living and raising a family in Detroit ain’t all it isn’t cracked up to be). And while D.C. has its downsides — brutal traffic, ungodly expensive housing, Kornheiser and Wilbon — it’s far from Dubuque on a Friday night.

I wonder at when and how the “DC is a dead-end destination to play” sentiment allegedly took hold. It certainly hasn’t held Danny Snyder back. And I’m quite sure I don’t agree with it.

That the Caps’ room is as tight-knit a bunch as it is, and no less than AO himself has recently intimated that he wants to play his entire career here, certainly seems to suggest otherwise. It took Milan Jurcina all of about two weeks to profess a deep attachment to his new teammates and the town he arrived in, and he left what a lot of folks think is one of the better cities in all of the country.

I wonder, too, at folks’ dismissal of AO as a recruiting card. I tend to think him a powerful one, and that all those high-profile media accounts of his talking to Pavel Datsyuk at the All Star game, etc., in part drove Wings’ management to the contract largesse it did. With my own eyes I saw how attached visitors from Pittsburgh and Buffalo were to Chinatown after recent games — we couldn’t get the [expletives] to leave. I would definitely agree that Mr. Leonsis would have a hard time pitching his team to free agents were the Caps still in the Cap Centre — the Prince George’s County nightlife, relative to the District’s, leaving one unfulfilled.

Pittsburgh is definitely an unpleasant place to play and live because it has no economy, and generally no one wants to live there (that’s why they all live here — what do you call a Pens’ fan living in Pittsburgh? Unemployed), and for at least another couple of years it has a godforsaken rink; Gary Roberts initially did refuse to go there six weeks ago. But ultimately guys will want to skate with Crosby and Malkin and Staal, as they will with best-in-the-world talents like our Alexes and Backstrom and likely others. (Continued)

Is tonight’s Habs-Leafs tilt (Air Canada Centre, 7:00) the most significant between these historic franchises in a generation? For the purposes of a bit of fun and novel hype . . . yes. It’s the final game of the season for both teams, and the Habs and Leafs and the Islanders are in a fierce race to the finish for the Eastern conference’s final playoff berth. But as print media in both Canadian cities this morning point out, some of the allure here is tempered by the reality that neither club is a serious Stanley Cup threat.

This morning Montreal resides in 8th place in the East, with 90 points. Toronto is right behind them in 9th, at 89 points. And the Isles, who have two games remaining this weekend (a matinée with Philly today and one with the Devils tomorrow), are in 10th with 88 points. With a win tonight, Montreal is in. The Leafs, however, not only must win but get some help from either Philly or New Jersey to keep from being passed by the Isles.

The Globe and Mail this morning isn’t quite as enamored with the matchup as one south of the 49th might imagine: the two teams are akin to “average high-school students about to take their final exam.” Ouch!

The Toronto Sun on the other hand is embracing the novelty of this winner-almost-takes all showdown: “It’s like the hockey gods decided to give the fans a treat.”

The Montreal Gazette this morning is all over this game. Its home page bears a one-word headline above a photo of the Habs — “Showdown.” Gazette columnist Jack Todd, in his column “This is it, hockey fans – the night of nights,” argues that tonight’s is the biggest game between the teams “since the Toronto Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup by upsetting the Canadiens in 1967.”

Wow.

Todd does his part to fan the frenzy:

“Hockey Night in Canada’s ratings will be off the charts tonight, Don Cherry will be in full Maple Leaf drag and in pubs and offices from coast to coast, Leafs and Canadiens fans will taunt and insult one another to the point of fisticuffs.”

NHL.com reporter Evan Grossman points out that while tonight’s is the 682nd meeting of these historic franchises, it is the first to conclude a regular season for both teams in 64 years, and never has such a game between them decided a playoff fate.

Mother Nature is doing Her part to provide an appropriate backdrop. There are April snow showers in both cities, and for those of us here who’ll follow the proceedings via Center Ice, we awoke this morning to a white frosting of our trees and lawns for our Saturday morning joe. I love it.

As best as I can tell, English has no word for the ubiquitous wish hockey fans harbor for prolonged and momentum-shifting sudden death overtime drama, be it contested in the NCAA or NHL postseasons. As we settle in for this gunslinger’s showdown that in drama has no rival anywhere in sports, and assuming we have no dog in the fight, it seems to me the last thing we expect and long for is a swift resolution, while the ice sheet is still shimmering. We want, perhaps, at least a half-period’s worth of white-knuckled back and forth, with goalposts clanked and odd-man rushes raising us out of our seats. Ideally, we’d be treated to two or three extra 20-minute sessions that obliterate the rest of the day or evening’s plans and empty our fridges. It’s when hockey fans become drama junkies.

The NCAA’s marquee postseason weekend kicked off last Friday afternoon with successive sudden death sessions, and so it was fitting that its final game last night so ended, and the moreso with it being contested in one of college hockey’s fiercest rivalries, Minnesota and North Dakota.

I watched it and luxuriated in a splendid spring Sunday afternoon turn first into early evening and then deep darkness with the game’s outcome still undecided. Every North American with a single thought about the sport of hockey has a prescription to improve its overall appeal, but here, in this extra session exhilaration, hockey has it perfect. Extra innings in the World Series are superb, but even they’ve got nothing on hockey’s sudden death.

While we’d like the game’s referees to slide back a bit from their whistle-happy whims and allow rugged heroism to determine sudden death’s outcome, we also savor I think the high alerts from manpower advantages, monitoring every power play pass and head-first dive to clear the zone with a laser focus and relish we don’t during the regular season. Whether we’re in the stands or seated before a TV screen, our sensory scope is at its widest during this action. We are attuned even to the footwork of the puck-carrying, backpedaling blueliner, knowing any error in agility could end his team’s season. I call this the Lesson of Gonchar.

It seems to me that most often a hockey team’s true character is revealed in these showdown sessions, and that most often the deserving team prevails. As the college hockey regular season concluded more and more observers pointed out Minnesota’s seeming lack of cohesion and chemistry — a trait that is becoming a bit of a staple in that superstar-laden program. And sure enough, last night it was North Dakota that carried the play in OT. And whereas the Gophers are perhaps a program increasingly of one- and two-year high profile pitstops en route to the pros, note that Sioux senior Chris Porter won UND’s entry to the Frozen Four last night.

I think if I were building a hockey team designed to prosper in sudden death, I’d seek leadership and experience. Is it any wonder that at the NHL’s trade deadline every year we see GMs across the league pony up high value assets for grizzled greybeards?

Special hockey teams seem to rise to the remarkable challenge of sudden death. The 1998 Capitals went 5-1 in overtime in the East’s playoffs en route to their only appearance in the Stanley Cup Finals. Last season’s Hurricanes went 4-1 in extra time in their postseason run. We may never again see the likes of the 1993 Montreal Canadians, who won ten straight postseason overtime games. Doubtless there are dozens more testionials to champion fortitude forged in this frenzy, and it seems doubtful that a team involved in at least a handful of OT games has won a Cup while amassing a losing record in them.

Let’s invent a word for our yearning for this marvelous mayhem.

Just quick knee-jerks this evening, as I have to spend the rest of the night figuring out who to blame for the fact that I can watch the Notre Dame/Michigan State game on three different channels, but can’t watch the North Dakota/Michigan game at all.

• Bryan Muir had a rough game.
• The Caps’ power-play was ghastly. The Caps simply can’t gain the zone in a proper and efficient manner, and that throws everything else off. They have trouble receiving passes, and that cuts the margin of error very fine. Too fine for t