Super Late... but catching up

I know it's late, but I've finally forced myself to sit down and go bleary-eyed staring at the stat sheet in order to finish plugging in the numbers for the Squee Cup.

(I know, I know, I suck. I'm sorry.)

And by "finish" -- I mean, I finished ROUND ONE. I have all the stats for round two and three, and I'm hoping to get all the numbers plugged in before the weekend is over and the Cup Finals start.

So far, heading up the regular Cup Pool is Kerri (23 points), Kirsten (22 points), and Becky & Rachel (21 points).

In the Squee Cup (only), your leads are Finny (me! yay, with +6), Mike (+5), and Teka (+5).

Combined Cup & Squee points, your leaders are Rachel (25), Finny (me! 23), and Kirsten (22).

Take a look at the spreadsheet. (And yes, I'll update for round 2 and 3 soon!)

goal by Finny at 10:17 PM 1 cheers and jeers  

Superstar Treatment?

You tell me.

Ryan Getzlaf gets busted for speeding (ehh, no big. I got a ticket for the same thing three years ago...), but the ticket goes missing for a time after it crosses the desk of a CHP commander who happens to be a Duck fan. Coincidence?

You decide.

goal by Finny at 10:34 AM 4 cheers and jeers  

Summer Updates

As you can tell, things have been quite slow in the Ducks news department as of late.  In case you missed it, here's the short list:

- Ryan Carter signed a three-year deal and will thankfully remain on the team.

- Teemu Selanne will be playing in the World Championships for Team Finland.

If you've got nothing else to do, test your Ducks knowledge on this quiz.  It isn't just your basic-knowledge of the team that's tested, it's your deep, inner knowledge.  There isn't a score given at the end of the quiz, but I kept track.  I missed 3 out of 10 (meaning, I didn't get the right answer on the first try).

For those in the playoff world that think I've dropped off the face of the planet and forgotten all about the Squee Cup, don't stress.  I promise I'll catch up on it soon.  I've been in and out of midterms for the last three weeks and just haven't had the chance to catch up just yet.  (Sorry, Teka).

Speaking of, I'm on my way to wrap up another midterm right now!  (Wish me luck!)

 

goal by Finny at 9:30 AM 0 cheers and jeers  

Ducks Reppin' Team Canada

Two of the younger Ducklings will be joining Team Canada for the World Championships! Congratulations to the lucky kids, Ryan Getzlaf and Chris Kunitz.

Go Canada!

goal by Finny at 2:12 PM 0 cheers and jeers  

OT: HIMYM is legendary...

Because it's hilarious and I need something to watch now that my team got booted from the playoffs.

This particular episode, Sandcastles in the Sand, poor Robyn takes a couple of hits for being Canadian. The opening sequence features a number of puns regarding Robyn's Canadian-ness and goes into a terrible scene featuring an overexaggerated (and totally botched) Canadian accent.

In any case, it's yet another comedic episode that deals with another real-life situation common to 20 and 30-somethings (but, you know, funnier). If you haven't been watching it, you need to be. Run, don't walk to the nearest video rental store and rent every season. And when you find yourself laughing at a scene you recognize from your own life or when you giggle at the situational truths they poke fun at, then you'll get why I heart HIMYM so much.

goal by Finny at 1:38 PM 1 cheers and jeers  

Toronto Will Have to Wait

Brian Burke and the Anaheim Ducks have announced that "Burkie" will remain with the organization through the length of his contract, which expires at the end of next season.

That obviously means that all the rumor mills can cease speculating on whether or not he'll head off to Toronto or Vancouver.

I'll continue to keep my fingers crossed that the Ducks will sign Burke to a contract extension (they indicated that negotiations would continue), and while it may be a bit of a dream, I have to say that I certainly hope Burke chooses to stay clear through until he decides to retire.

He's brought such success to Anaheim, and he's done his fair share of gambling that's paid off and a bit of gambling that didn't pan out the way some of us hoped it would. Still, overall, he's given Anaheim a makeover like no other and made us Champions in three short seasons. He's made sound moves and continually stresses the fact that he will not make a deal that doesn't make sense. I have every confidence in his abilities, despite the fact that I may not always agree or like his choices (ahem, that whole Black Saturday thing that went down with Shane O'Brien last season?).

Nevertheless, with some time and clear-headedness, I've been able to see the wisdom in his dealings -- and yes, that does mean I now agree with the trade that cost me my O'B. The reason I agree is because: (1) it's hard to argue against a trade made the year your team won the Cup, (2) O'Brien's style of play was certainly a better fit for Tampa as opposed to Anaheim, though O'B did do his best to adjust to his assigned role... it just appeared as if he was looser/more comfortable in TB, and (3) in a roundabout way, it's all good because Burke brought in Brian Sutherby, who quickly became my new favorite. So, despite the heartbreak it cost me to see O'B go, all was mended when Sudsy came to town.

But this isn't about O'B or Sudsy. This is about keeping Burkie.

And thank the hockeygods... he'll be back for next season. Now if he can just persuade Scott Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne, Corey Perry, and Brian Sutherby to say the same...

goal by Finny at 3:42 PM 1 cheers and jeers  

H.A.G.S.

The boys had their final team meeting today at the Honda Center and cleared out their stuff for the summer. In the mean time, GM Brian Burke met with the media to address questions regarding the early first round exit, the future of the Ducks, and to give a noncommittal grunt about the rumors that he's going to Toronto.

Head coach Randy Carlyle also gave his reaction to the media and fielded the questions about his team.

And now my eastern dark horse team has been eliminated (Washington) by the Flyers, I'm going to have to count on the Sharks to keep my bracket alive in round 1.

:sigh:

goal by Finny at 7:00 PM 1 cheers and jeers