A Time For Everything

 

This guy is my favorite hockey player. You regulars probably know that. :0)

By all accounts he's a fantastic human being as well as being one of the greatest hockey players of all time.

I'd love to meet him some day, somehow and get a picture taken with him. (I might need to Photoshop an image and put it on my vision board!)

For now, I'm happy to wish him happy birthday with this little Sidney Crosby appreciation post.

Hope you're having a great day, Sid--one filled with family, friends, and fun.

Have a great week!

 

Hockey season is a month away now, and I have tickets to the Dallas Stars home opener versus the Nashville Predators for DD and me...

Best of all--the home opener is on a Saturday for a change. So...!! DD and I can attend all the pre-game events this year. Which usually includes what they call the Victory Green Carpet Walk. That's when the players walk into the arena on (obviously) a Victory Green carpet. Fans get to line the carpet for pictures and possibly autographs.

There are usually other events taking place in Victory Plaza, as well, so DD and I are gonna make a day of it since we actually can. I've had the tickets for a month already and I can't even say how excited we both are.

Others look forward to Halloween...I look forward to hockey season. :0)

However, for the first time in five seasons, we do not have season tickets or even half-season tickets. DD and I will be going to games as the mood strikes us and not because we have to because we already paid for the seats. Are there things I'm going to miss about being a season ticket holder? A few yes, but not enough to keep on right now.

Last year, I didn't opt out and wished I'd had. Way before Mom's cancer was known to me and before we even thought we'd be moving Mom to Texas, I just wasn't feeling the energy needed for that kind of commitment. Also, I had other reservations, which ended up coming to pass, and so this year, I said, "No."

Mostly for the same reasons, but also because after the hiatus of many things due to caring for Mom, I need to decide if the things I wanted to do are the things I still want to do; if so or if not--how do I move forward.

I've reached a crossroads...there is lots of pondering and consideration and prayer to come for me over the next weeks and months.

In the meantime...

Well, yes!

We're down to the Conference Finals...

Colorado Avalanche vs. Edmonton Oilers in the West and Tampa Bay Lightning vs. New York Rangers in the East.

I placed several $5 bets on various teams early in the year.

Only one team is left playing. That would be the Avs, and they are a juggernaut right now.

But Tampa Bay is going for a three-peat, meaning they're back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and going for their third Cup win. They too are a powerhouse team. (Usually.)

As of this morning, the Avalanche and the Rangers lead their respective series ...

In hockey, however, anything can happen. So by the end of the week, we could be looking at an Oilers / Lightning Cup Final. Both Edmonton and Tampa Bay would have to win all their remaining games. Could it happen? Yes. Is it likely? No

But the Conference Finals and the Cup Final is not what I wanted to muse on today.

Let's circle back to my boys in Victory green.

It's the dawn of yet another new era in Dallas Stars Hockey.

Rick Bowness, head coach for the last couple of seasons, and the team parted ways. Bones inherited the coaching job initially when the previous coach was fired. And as a result of the run to the Stanley Cup Final a couple of years ago, he was offered a new contract.

A lot of people in the fan base are of the opinion that he's not the best coach for our team and while I'm not a strategist nor do I really understand a lot of aspects of the game, I've come to agree. Their explanations make sense.

Bones is an old school coach, but the game has evolved, is evolving, as are the players coming up. While Bones is by all accounts a great "players" coach--everyone in the League loves Bones as a person--his coaching style seems to be stuck in the 80s and 90s. And some of our really good players aren't playing as well as they could as a result. Their skills and talents aren't being utilized, they're not being put in positions to truly shine and succeed. And that's a shame.

Hopefully, the new coach will be able to balance the strengths of each and every player for a truly contending team.

Several of our older players--"veterans," as the over age-thirty players tend to get labeled--are coming off the books, meaning their contracts have expired and are not being renewed. Sadly, we're stuck with one guy who most everyone (fan-wise) hates.

On the other hand, they offered one of our very best players at age 37 a one-year extension. And thank the Good Lord for that. Joe Pavelski, along with his two younger line-mates was responsible for over 40% of our goal scoring last season. While on the one hand it's impressive--we made the play-offs on the backs of those three men--we should be getting scoring from all four lines as well as from the defensemen.

From L to R (in Victory Green, of course): Joe Pavelski, Roope Hintz, and Jason Robertson aka Pavelski & Sons.

We made it to a game seven of the first round on the back of our young goalie. He was the best goalie in the league during his single round of playoffs and was just shunted into second best position two games into the third round...

Many in the fan base are hoping that the new coach will balance all the talent we have--help the veterans be as productive as possible and allow the young guns opportunity and a chance to shine, all while bringing back a little more offense from up and down the roster.

Looking forward to see what the 2022-2023 season has in store for a boys in Victory Green.

In the meantime--LET'S GO AVS!!

Nate MacKinnon

I've finally treated myself to a new hockey/pajama shirt. I've been coveting this one for a while and when I received the up-front payment on a recent proofing job, I decided to buy it. I also had a discount code for the site, so I basically saved shipping charges. Either way, it wasn't as much as it would have been otherwise.

I don't talk much about him because his name and his team name is verboten in our household by my hockey partner in crime... buuuut Nate MacKinnon is my second favorite hockey player after Sidney Crosby. Funny enough, they are from the same small town in Nova Scotia. Sid was a hero of Nate's growing up, because why wouldn't the greatest player in the world who was from your same hometown be your hero?

Nate too is becoming an elite player, and his team has a very good chance of going all the way to and winning the Stanley Cup Final. *fingers crossed* I've got $5 on Nate and the Avs.

* * * * *

Speaking of Sidney Crosby

While tootling around Klamath Falls early on in my visit, imagine my pleased surprise to come across this. :0) I don't think anything more needs to be said.

Have a super week, catch you next Monday.

Sidney Crosby Reaches 500 Goals

My favorite player, Sidney Crosby, became only the 46th player in NHL history (over 100 years), to score 500 goals in his career. Quite a feat considering there are some 700+ players in the NHL in any given year. He'd have had at least 100 more if not for "work stoppages" and close to a year of not playing due to concussions.

Image from the NHL on Instagram.

* * * * *

Jake Oettinger ~ Personal Puzzle

Check out this little puzzle--made just for me by DD. The subject there is our young Dallas Stars goalie when he competed on behalf of the USA at the World Juniors Championship back in 2018.

I'm hoping for another puzzle featuring another favorite player of mine, but I might have to flat out ask for that one. This one was a surprise. :0)

* * * * *

A Little Help From Our Friends

Marc-Andre Fleury is another goalie in the NHL. I've been a huge fan of his pretty much since I got into hockey. One of his fun little quirks is the appreciation he shows the goal posts and crossbar for helping him out on the ice. I tested this and it should work. You'll have to click the little arrow on right side of each image/clip to see the next.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NHL (@nhl)

If it doesn't work, click over and cycle through this short amalgamation of video clips. (No Instagram login / account needed.)

Have a great week...

The St. Louis Blues were swept from the first round of playoffs by the Colorado Avalanche. Now, I don't really care about the St. Louis Blues; they've been a general thorn in the side of my Dallas Stars, and their goalie is a bitch.

However--seeing any hockey player cry when their hopes for a(nother) Stanley Cup have been quashed, really gets to me. They're such fierce competitors and seeing them this vulnerable and willing to show their heartbreak really gets to me. I feel it in my chest. Even now, thinking about it, makes my heart clench a bit.

Remember that personality strengths test I took?

The strength of empathy ranked quite high, which surprised me when I first got the results. But I guess this is one way that empathy manifests itself.

On the flip side of the Blues' loss is the Avalanche win. They're also a favorite of mine and I'm over the moon they've advanced to the second round. One of my other favorite player, Nathan MacKinnon, plays for them, so I'm excited for him.

* * * * *

Trying to get back on the KETO wagon today and will be doing a detox / cleanse for the next 10 days. It'll be interesting so see how it works.

Surprisingly however, when I weighed myself I hadn't gained as much weight as I imagined considering all the unhealthy things I've been eating for the last six months. In fact, I weighed in this morning at the upper level of my usual four pound swing. Now, I imagine the current high is actually higher, but overall, that's good news.

My main goal is not primarily the weight loss, nor the loss of fat, but getting back into ketosis and subsequently autophagy.

If you're not familiar, it means at its base level: self-eating.

When your body gets to this point it is removing debris and toxins from cells. The cells can then regenerate back to optimal functioning, whatever that may be. Autophagy has the ability to heal or really eat bacteria that is causing issues. For example--gum disease. A friend of mine had periodontal disease and after some time spent in autophagy, the disease had been eradicated from her mouth. I'm not sure how long that took, but I've known her for a while, and I'm going to bet less than a year.

That was of particular interest to me because I too suffer from periodontal disease. I've had boneloss in my jaw as a result. As a result of the severity of that boneloss, I had three teeth pulled and a bone graft applied. I'm on my way to getting posts and a bridge put in.

But I'd like for the periodontal disease be a thing of the past so that I keep the rest of my teeth. I'm only 53...

Now not only would that process heal my mouth, but I'm sure other parts of my body will also reap the benefits. Google-search "benefits of autophagy" if your curious as to all the other benefits...

* * * * *

I hope you've had a good week since last I posted.

Take care...

Two weeks ago, I was feeling low, low, low...and pretty convinced my Dallas Stars were going to miss the playoffs. They're still not a lock, but as of Monday night, they're two (!!) points behind that 4th place team...with two games in hand...and one more huge game against said 4th place team on Saturday.

Two weeks ago, we were seven points back...

...and as of Monday we're the 5th place team!

Now, last night, they lost, but so did that 4th place team, so we didn't gain or lose ground.

But the boys now have a five game stretch against the teams ahead of us with their remaining two against the team we just passed in the standings. The Nashville Predators (the 4th place team for those keeping score at home) have an easier slate of games, but two fewer left to play. I'm not sure the scales balance proportionately in our favor.

But we're a scrappy bunch and we'll be getting one of our best players back from injury any time now. Will it be soon enough to make a difference? No telling.

While I'll be sooo sad for the team, I'd still be relieved if they didn't make it. I'm thankful last night was the last home game. I'm just tired right now.

But if they do make the playoffs, I'll be cheering them on in person as often as possible.

* * * * *

Overall, I'm feeling a bit better. Mentally and physically; mostly mentally, but physically too.

I'm working on the book again. I'm exercising again. I'm trying eat better again.

I just need to keep making the decisions I need to make...

* * * * *

Hope you're doing well so far this week. Keep on keeping on...

 This a post about my hockey team...feel free to tap out.

As of this afternoon, Wednesday, April 14, the Dallas Stars are three points from catching the team just ahead of them and seven points from catching the team in 4th place.

The teams in the first four positions get to go to the playoffs...

We have 15 games left to our season...3 to 4 more than most other teams since the start of our season was postponed due to COVID-related protocols and then four more games were rescheduled due to the snowpocolyse that hit our state.

The guys have playing four games in seven nights and back-to-back on Saturdays and Sundays to make up those eight games. It's not the worst schedule in the League, but it's tough. We're missing three of our top players. Another top player is a game-time decision every game day as he has an injury he's dealing with. There are eight or nine players rotating in and out of the lineup due to injuries and/or gameplay. There has been no time for any sort of organized practices.

Yes, I'll have some cheese with that whine...

They're streaky to begin with. Missing players, little rest, and no practices makes soooo inconsistent. 

While it's still statistically possible for them to make the playoffs; it's looking less and less like they're going to be able to make it happen

Am I sad?

I'm sad for the team. Not so much for myself.

Don't tell DD, but I'm ready for the season to be over. We have six more home games, four we'll be attending, two which we will not. I'm really not feeling the hecticity of playoffs. I have stuff to accomplish (hello, hockey book 5).

Yes, I know I could not go--but you never know when it's going to be the last time they make. Or you never know if they're gonna go on a tear like they did last season -- you want to be there for that too in case they win or in case they don't make it back for a while. It's history in the making...

But I just have this feeling based on how they're playing, they just won't be able to make up the points differences even with games in hand.

And I'm okay if they don't. It's been a crazy year and they had that wild ride to the Stanley Cup finals last year. They deserve the rest, even if every man to a one would say they'd do it all again to win the damn Cup.

Have a great week. Catch you Friday...

 

My boy Sidney Crosby played in his 1000th hockey game this past Saturday. The tributes made by his teammates and friends were touching.

The mayor of Pittsburgh deemed Saturday, February 20, 2021 Sidney Crosby Day in his honor. Sidney was the savior of hockey in Pittsburgh especially, but some could argue for the league as a whole as well.

He was the Number 1 Draft Pick back in 2005 and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins who were in possession of the number one pick.

He's had an amazing career earning himself not only multiple, multiple individual awards, but three Stanley Cups, two Olympic golds, and a gold medal at the World Cup of Hockey and World Juniors.

Here's to many more...

 

My 6th Gen iPod has finally kicked the bucket once and for all. I can't tell you how bummed I am about this. I've had that thing for well over a dozen years, and it works great--when I can get it to show the contents after I've charged it. Problem is I can't get past the "lock" screen (I guess) which shows the (incorrect) time and the battery charge level.

It has my writing music on it as well as my thunderstorm white noise for when I travel, along with some random videos I like to watch every once in a while.

New iPods--devices that look like phones just without the phone parts--cost $200. I have an old-iPhone dealer, so I'm gonna see what he's got in stock for cheaper.

Could I use my current iPhone? Sure, I could. Most people do, which is why iPods have gone the way of the dinosaur. But I prefer to have a separate device for my music for various reasons, none of which are that big of a deal.

* * * * * 

In other news, my Dallas Stars re-signed our 1B goalie to a new three-year contract.

This is great news as we've had the best goalie tandem in the league for two years now but our 1A is, unfortunately, a bit fragile. Without this guy, we wouldn't have gotten to game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

As bummed as I am about the iPod, I am about 1000X that thrilled that Dobby is back. :0)

* * * * *

And now that the mouth is about as good as it's gonna get aside from continued healing in the graft area, it's time to eschew the soft foods and the carbs that I've allowed myself to binge for the last couple of weeks.

No guarantees I'm not going to fall off the wagon, because I've allowed my body to develop its sweet tooth again. I've allowed myself the Greek yogurt and a carb-light tortilla in my daily diet and not going full Keto again yet because that would def be a recipe for failure. I'm going to struggle enough as it is.

I am going to reward myself at the end of the week, though, if I can get through and stick with the diet plan.

Hope you had a great weekend-- Hope you have a great week.

 

Well, it's done...the Stanley Cup Finals have ended, hockey is over for a few months.

My Dallas Stars did not end up on the "Stanley Cup Champions" side of the equation, but they're winners in the hearts of every Stars fan worth his or her salt.

The 2019-2020 season lasted 367 days and the boys in Victory Green (that's the actual color name :0)) played the whole way.

They struggled, overcame challenges along the way, and played in the two biggest events of any hockey season--the Winter Classic on New Years day in front of 85K fans; and the Stanley Cup Playoffs & Finals in front of no fans. Only three players, all Stars, were able to have family inside the bubble due to heavy Canadian government restrictions and the COVID-testing hoops required by the NHL.

The Tampa Bay Lightning may have been the most skilled team on the ice, but they weren't the best team, and sadly the injuries stacked up a little too high against the Stars in this final series.

They were the underdogs every step of the way and few--including me--though they'd make it past the first round. Same for the second. Ditto the third. But then they did and I finally believed they could have pulled it off. And I still believe that if those injuries to key players hadn't happened we could have.

But they still deserve all the credit for digging deep in the most bizarre set of circumstances and all the love and respect and pride for doing what they did for themselves, for their fans, and all of DFW.

These four players are the first to take a knee during the American and Canadian national anthems prior to a game in which they were playing. Matt Dumba took a knee at a game a few days prior to this, but he'd given a speech and was not playing in the game itself. Please note that Matt Dumba and Ryan Reaves are players of color.

Now, many on social media are saying all kinds of negative things about a guy (Tyler specifically)  who's trying to mature, grow, and learn in the wake of George Floyd's murder by supporting his hockey brothers of color. As an FYI and for what it's worth, there are only 43 players of color in a league of 700+ active players.

I know some people think it's political, but how is standing up for what's right and supporting your friends and colleagues political? I get that there can be and maybe are political aspects to the issues, but sometimes, there's just doing the right thing. Such as standing (metaphorically in this case) with those who are fighting for basic human decency.

These players are using the platform they have as popular professional athletes to bring an important issue to the attention of some who might not otherwise give it a moment's thought.

It's so important for those with white privilege, such as Tyler, Jason, and Robin to stand with those whose experience has been different and far worse. It's important for them (and the rest of us who also enjoy white privilege) to acknowledge there's been wrong done to a certain sector of our fellow human beings before people who don't understand that there's a problem can begin to change their perception.

No, Tyler (or Jason or Robin) shouldn't be traded. He shouldn't be fined. He shouldn't be unfollowed on Twitter or Instagram, but knock yourself out if it makes you feel better (as if he'd know, sheesh).
He certainly shouldn't be excoriated for standing up for what's right. Or for using this form of peaceful protest to advocate for change.

I was one of those outraged, uneducated people back when Colin Kaepernik took a knee back in 2016, thinking he was disrespecting the flag and those who'd fought and died for our freedoms. But what I forgot was that those who fought and died--well, they fought for our freedom and certain unalienable rights. Let's take a look at the First Amendment shall we...

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Yeah, that last phrase. People have a right to gather peaceably and to petition the Government to right its wrongs.

I hope I'll walk the walk when the time comes...

Have a great week.