• 23 busloads of hockey fans from Quebec City, all attired in Nordiques’ bleu.

I used to think a half dozen buses of Flyers’ fans pulling up in front of old Capital Centre, and soon thereafter making the brawling on the ice appear child’s play relative to the fisticuffs those hooligans initiated in the stands, a sizable show of high-pitched passion, to say nothing of malicious mischief. I can’t imagine what 23 busloads of impassioned Quebecois will look and sound like in an otherwise empty Isles’ rink tonight. What a brilliant bit of passion-branding by Nordiques Nation.

Think about it: beyond the extraordinary volume of Quebecois crammed into 23 buses (and with all the attention this story is getting, maybe it’ll be more (seats for the game are still available — hah!)), it’s a 10-hour busride from Quebec City to Long Island. This Revolution en Bleu is basically surrendering an entire holiday weekend for two-and-a-half hours of lousy hockey, just to make their passion and commitment more broadly known . And even with a somewhat downscaled New York media monitoring the moment, they surely will.

What an embarrassing moment tonight will be for this apparently tenured-for-life NHL commissioner. I’m all for embarrassing him. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the lower bowl in Glendale Bleu-ed-out by the Quebecois during a playoff game next spring. Canadians love migrating to the warm sun after a hard winter, and the moreso if unloved hockey in t-shirts and shorts is available.

Fanhouse has more on this massive breach of our borders by Nordiques’ bleu:

“The plan is that the large group of fans will sit in the lower bowl behind each net with light blue shirts that read ‘Nordiques Nation.” At the 15:00 mark of each period, the group plans to make a lot of noise to commemorate the 15 years it has been since the Nordiques left Quebec City for Denver. With rumors of relocation swirling for both the Thrashers and Islanders, the Nordiques supporters plan to make their voices heard in an attempt to help bring NHL hockey back to their hometown.

“We just want to show the N.H.L. that Quebec needs a team and is a better market,” [Quebec radio personality and event organizer Vince] Cauchon told the New York Times. “Maybe a third of the markets in the N.H.L. aren’t doing so well right now.”

Here are some thoughts about the team’s performance:

• Lazy was the word of the night. There was an apparent lack of interest in the game from many of the players. Caps players took lazy penalties, made poor passes and took shots that had little chance of making it to the net. Washington escaped with a gift, as the Islanders outplayed them most of the night. It was clear the players knew they did  not play well too, as few came out to address the media afterwards.
• The Islanders certainly could have capitalized on their shots more if John Tavares and Marc Streit had been in the lineup. Fortunately for the Caps, they were not, and the team did not have to keep track of any real scoring threats.
• I bet no one thought the Caps’ penalty kill would be better than their power play. Through four games Washington is a pristine 15-15 on the penalty kill, including a 3-3 night against the Isles. Meanwhile, they are an abysmal 2-17 on the power play this season.
• Semyon Varlamov appears to be ready to start, but should he? Michal Neuvirth (my pick for the team’s best goalie) has been nothing but solid in net. His performance included a clutch save on a Matt Moulson breakaway in the third period. The save on Moulson was just one of many by Neuvy, as the young netminder was hung out to dry by his defense much of the night. In my opinion, Neuvy has earned the role of starter for a while.
• Speaking of defense, the Caps did not look interested in playing much of it. John Carlson stuck out as one of the d-men who struggled the most. He may have added to his point streak tonight, but head coach Bruce Boudreau said there are other aspects to the game than just scoring. Captain America over-skated puck and was caught out of position several times. None of this is unexpected, as he is just a rookie.
• Many in the press box were questioning the decision to dress D.J. King. He does not skate particularly well, New York is not a team known for fighting this season and after a slew of poor performances, excluding the New Jersey game, one would think a coach would want to put out his best players. Sure, King fought, but he really did not add all that much to the game. With only 4:43 of ice time, its hard to believe there was not another player who could have contributed more.
• Next up for the Caps are the Nashville Predators. Nashville has been stingy when it has come to giving up goals, only surrendering three goals in the first two games. One thing in Washington’s favor is that Predators starting goalie Pekka Rinne missed the last game due to injury. The Caps will most likely be facing rookie Anders Lindback, as good a gift they will likely receive in the early stages of the season.

This is a first-hand account of the plight of a college graduate seeking gainful employment.  Last Friday marked exactly 11 months since my graduation from Penn State University (with two degrees earned in three years).  In those 11 months, I have applied for more than than 60 jobs nationwide — both in and out of the hockey world — without so much as a single interview in return.  The most common response from prospective employers is none at all.  I’ve received a handful of “Thanks but no thanks” emails, one printed letter informing me that the position had been filled, and even several messages stating that the employer had decided not to fill the position.  Yes, on more than one occasion the job for which I had applied was revoked.  But more often than not, I never hear a word.  Referring to my situation as disheartening would be a gross understatement.  The experience has been an assault on the ego.

In addition to my two degrees from Penn State, I have spent four seasons with the Hershey Bears.  I am not without experience, yet I am without a full-time job.  Hockey is like most other industries in these tough times: jobs are at a premium. I know that I am intelligent, conscientious, qualified, [insert descriptor here].  I am utterly baffled.  My initial reaction is not to question the market or the judgment of the employers, but to doubt myself.  Does my resume have some kind of repellent quality?  What’s wrong with me?

My one qualm with the collegiate experience is the lack of preparation for the “real world.”  The ability to write a 10-page paper on Beowulf in its original Middle English text has yet to benefit me professionally.  I feel misguided.  Professors — perhaps out of touch with the true state of the job market — implied that employers would be knocking down my door with job offers because I have a Penn State education.  I’m still waiting on that one.

I was never so naïve as to believe that I would be pursued for jobs in that manner, but the communications department desperately needs a new approach.  The past year remains a rude awakening.  I would have liked to have known long ago that oft times I would not be interviewed or even contacted when I applied for openings.  I was never prepared for the monumental struggle I have faced.

Despite the hardship, I have persevered.  I continue to apply for jobs, with the hope that any organization — even, dare I say it, the Pittsburgh Penguins — will see my potential and give me a chance.  This attitude has led me to apply for a vacant media relations position with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders.  Conveniently, the Bears are facing Bridgeport in the first round of the Calder Cup playoffs; the timing is almost too good to be true.

With the endorsement of Bears’ President and General Manager Doug Yingst and the voice of the Bears, John Walton, I find myself in unfamiliar territory.  In a respite from what I have deemed the “year of failure,” I have reason to be hopeful again.  This postseason series has afforded me the opportunity to make myself known to the Sound Tigers and Islanders staff members, both at Giant Center and the Arena at Harbor Yard, and to prove that I deserve the job.  Thus I trekked to southern Connecticut last Saturday, intent on campaigning on my own behalf.

The commute was uneventful: I departed Chocolatetown at 11:00 a.m. and arrived in Connecticut by 3:00 p.m.  Truth be told, I was just happy to be able to make the trip at all.  Car trouble late in the week did not help my cause.  If I am not offered this position I want it to be because there is a better, more qualified candidate, not due to a temperamental car.  Determined to get to Bridgeport by any means possible, I borrowed a car from my grandfather.

A four-hour drive sans passengers allows plenty of time for reflection.  I was excited at the prospect of talking to Sound Tigers management and offering them a face to attach to my name.  I was focused.

At Saturday night’s tilt, Mr. Yingst introduced me to Bridgeport President Howard Staffan.  (Fortunately I met him prior to Hershey’s six-goal second period!)  The meeting was brief, but Staffan guaranteed me an interview.  I was nothing short of ecstatic.  I excitedly accepted this news and resumed my duties as in-game statistician and game story author.  The Bears prevailed in a 7-2 decision to improve to 3-0 in the series.  I shook hands with the team’s president.  I was promised an interview — my first one.  [Insert squeals of delight here.]  I couldn’t have scripted a better night.

On Sunday afternoon, I sat down with Islanders’ Communications Manager Kimber Auerbach.  He asked me about my history with the Bears, informed me of what the Bridgeport job entails, and explained how it compares to my current responsibilities.  However, the discussion took an unexpected turn:  to the “boys club” of hockey teams’ front office personnel.  As a female trying to break into a male-dominated industry, I am well aware of the challenge at hand (a story for another time).  Nonetheless, I appreciated the sentiment from Auerbach, who assured me that a female can be equally successful in this position.  The conversation was promising.

This weekend’s excursion proved to be a fruitful one, with perhaps the lone exception being Hershey’s Game 4 loss on Sunday.  My encounters with members of the Bridgeport staff were encouraging, though I will not become overconfident as a result.  Given the harrowing journey I have endured since graduation, I remain cautious.  Hopefully my commitment to the sport and this league will secure me, at long last, a job.  Working in hockey, communicating what makes it so special, is my calling.