Cheating...on Your Team

     The new season of hockey has been rough so far for the Carolina Hurricanes. The season opener went into a shootout (that shouldn’t have happened), & our team has lost 4 games on the road. Our record, as I speak, is 11-11-7. If the team doesn’t turn it around, the season will be all but lost. 
     It pains me to say that during this horrible beginning, I’ve cheated on my team. Toronto, Calgary, Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa, & Pittsburgh have won me over (Tampa is my adopted team as I lived there for a bit). All of these hockey teams, despite the records of Edmonton & Ottawa, have won me over. Why? Because The Hurricanes seem to not care. It’s the same old attitude. “We have to finish it”, “We need to close out”, & “We need to do better” are just too many lines that I have heard. It’s frustrating when they say it but don’t do it. More action, less words, young men!
     I’m not a bandwagon fan! I’m a frustrated fan! How many more seasons do we have to endure this! I love Brind’Amour, Smith, & Francis. Peters, honestly, has to step his game up or leave. I would love to see what Patrick Roy could do w/ the team. Until changes are made, I have to hope that this team gets better. I love this team still, but they need to get it together. In the mean time, yes, I still love the other teams. 
     Moral of this story, some teams can literally make their fans cheat on them w/ other teams. Please get it together Hurricanes!

Hockey is Back!!!

     Hockey is back!!! I attended the opening night for the Carolina Hurricanes. I had a great time. The team came out on top in shoot out, 5-4. Really, the game should have ended w/ them 4-3, but the refs clearly can’t determine what goalie interference is & isn’t. Let’s not mention the missed calls that the refs clearly weren’t seeing.
     Besides the bad officiating, the Hurricanes have to work on their opp. We had a 5 on 3 & no score. They couldn’t even get a play together...A small tweak is needed. With all of those obstacles, I have to say we are locking good. The crowd was back, & the team appears to be a playoff team.

     P.S. I support the two captains. Both Staal & Faulk earned it.

The Champs

     The Pittsburgh Penguins repeated as champions last night. The game was definitely intense, but so well worth it. It was by far the best game that I have ever seen. There was a little controversy in regards to a "quick whistle" fro a referee that took away the goal from the Predators. Yet, when you look at the game as a whole, the Nashville Predators had more than enough opportunities to force a game 7. They had a 5-3 in which they didn't capitalize on. Finally, under two minutes, the Penguins did take advantage & scored the game winning goal. They added an empty netter which sealed their victory.
     I applaud the Nashville Predators' organization. I can't applaud their fans. Their fans were sore losers, & demonstrated this by throwing items on the ice after their team's fate was sealed. Of course, they have been throwing objects prior to this (mostly fish). Their childlike & dangerous behavior is unbecoming, unnecessary, & unwanted. I encourage the NHL to consider harsh penalties for those caught throwing any object on the ice. I recommend a permanent removal from the arena as their actions are not harmless. Overall, the organization should get some recognition for their hard work, awesome goaltending, & achievement.
     Overall, last night was a great night. The Stanley Cup, once again, will be returning to Pittsburgh. My question though is, "How long until October?" Lol. With the addition of Scott Darling, my Carolina Hurricanes could be making an appearance in the playoffs. I'm so looking forward to it. Congrats to the Pens & to their fans! Enjoy the cup!

Lord Stanley

     The Pens & Preds are all notted up at 2. Who is going to win? The Preds are an excellent team. They have the defenseman. The goalie is making killer saves. Having said that, the Pens' have home ice advantage & Sidney Crosby. At the end of the day, it will be tight, but I will say the Pens will take it home w/ 4-2. Experience is always key.

Hockey Arenas

     My trip to Toronto was awesome. The fans are so enthusiastic and the people are awesome. My goal is to visit every hockey arena. Toronto, Tamap, & Carolina, we can cross off the list. Just 27 more to go. Lol! Have fun! Live life! That's my philosophy.

The Men Showed up

     I travelled 4 hours to go to Raleigh, NC & see my Hurricanes play. Was it worth it? Heck yes! The discounted rates on the lower level seats ($27), along with the team playing their hearts out was well worth it. Sebastian Aho scored a hat trick & the defense did their job. Cam Ward was on point, only allowing one goal. They beat the Philadephila Flyers, helping our chances at a playoff spot. We have enough time to accomplish this. I'm a never say never kind of woman. We have the energy, we have the talent. We just need to put in the effort, & go on a blistering winning streak. We got this!

Caniac Forever!

Caniac Nation

     My Carolina Hurricanes are my home team. I loved them as much as I love the Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Braves, & Chicago Bulls. It's a team that I've supported since they were brought to NC. Having said that, there have been plenty of so called fans who have questioned my intelligence. Once also called me "sweetheart." Uh...no sir. That's not acceptable. This sexism & name calling is not acceptable. They question my analytical skills. I have eyes & I can see the problems that we have as a team. The goaltender position is the least of the problems. Cam Ward can do this, but he does need someone to allow him to rest as the other goaltenders are not cutting it. Then, there is the flat-out embarrassing offensive power plays that we can't seem to score on. Though, we did get one goal tonight on one...The point is that there is no need for name calling. There is no need to belittle anyone, & there is definitely no room for sexis. Thanks you so much. Having said that, I need the Canes to win the next upcoming games. Go Canes!!!

This is a Hockey Post but...

Note: This is a blog dedicated to hockey. It will be kept that way. Having said that, this is an exception as I feel compelled on putting this on all of my blogs. God Bless!!!

Dear atheists,

      Your lack of belief is your problem & when you die, it will be permanently your problem. As a Christian, I pray that is not the case for you because I love you & Jesus loves you. I pray that you find your way to the Way, the Truth, & the Life. In the mean time, please stop hurting people that are already hurting. If you don't like the material that is handed to you, politely discard & keep on moving. Your constant complaining is really, not to be mean, but senseless nagging. You want to remove statues & Nativity scenes when you can simply look the other way. You want to remove crosses when it honors our fallen, when you can simply look the other way. It does not impact you. Now, you complain about a comfort leaflet. Really? Now, others won't get that comfort. They will get some material that probably won't be as comforting. It's time for you to shake the devil off & grow up. Think about others-not yourselves. God Bless!

Dear Toronto Maple Leafs

     Ya'll are very passionate about your sport. That's a great thing! I respect that. I love my sports has well. When my teams excel, I'm so happy. When they are low, not so much. Passion is what fans have. It's what many of us thrive on. Having said that, passion & disrespect are two different things

     I haven't had the time to watch the Maple Leafs as I'm watching my team, the Carolina Hurricanes & my adopted teams of the Tampa Bay Lightning & Colorado. From what I hear, your team will make the playoffs. That's wonderful. I also hear that you have an excellent American player named Auston Matthews. He seems to be killing it! It's a great thing that your team is excelling. Having said that, remember that the Toronto Maple Leafs is an employer & it employs a diverse group of players. Some are Canadians, Americans, Russians, Finnish, Swedish, etc...With that said, these players have a right to celebrate when their home country excels at a tournament. When Auston Matthews celebrated the United States' victory with a tweet, some of you disrespected your player. He represents you in the NHL. He does not represent your country. He was born & raised in the U.S. That's his country. He has every right to celebrate his country just as you have the right to celebrate yours when ya'll when the Olympics. Some of you want to get rid of him just because of that tweet. There are many teams that would gladly take him, but you have to ask yourself this question: Am I going to run out players because they are not Canadians even if they have the potential to bring the Cup back? Really? 

     Now, the majority of Toronto are awesome, respectful, & legitimate fans. That's why I adopted this team as I wanted a Canadian team to cheer on. Toronto is a great place to visit & the people are friendly from what I am told. Yet, the minority of voices did the majority no favors with the verbal assault on Matthews. A little common sense & respect goes a long way. Wayne Gretzky played in L.A., New York, & St. Louis, all of which are in the U.S. Mario Lemeuix played in Pittsburgh, Roy played in Colorado, all of which are in the U.S. Expecting these Canadian men to cheer on the U.S. & wave the U.S. flag because they worked in the U.S. is laughable & downright disrespectful. Citizens cheer on their country. Expecting anything less is incredibly crazy & selfish thinking. This young man will represent you throughly & will strive to get you the cup. That's where his obligation ends. Period. 

     Having said that, I look forward to visiting Toronto & seeing one of the games. I have so much love & respect for your country & your game. I'm looking forward to encountering friendly, enthusiastic fans of the game & of the Maple Leafs. God Bless!!!

Dear Colorado Avalanche & Patrick Roy

I should begin this open letter to state that I am a die hard hockey fan...from South Carolina. My team that I will always stick with is my Carolina Hurricanes. Having said that, the Avalanche are my adopted team. I've followed them since I was 16 years old, and at risk of exposing my age, it equates to 20 years. Lemieux, Roy, Sakic, Drury, Deadmarsh are names that I'm well acquainted with. I seen the strength of the team & the fiery passion (Roy v. Osgood was classic). Now, I'm afraid that I'm seeing the demise of this team. That's where this letter comes in.

I want to address the front office first and foremost. You are the ones that make the crucial decisions. You are the ones that supposedly have the team & fans' best interest at heart. Here's my question to you: do you read your social media posts? Do you see the frustration being vented out by your fans? Were you aware that your own hall of fame goaltender walked out of his role as coach & vp of hockey operations? Do you even care? When is the rebuilding going to stop, & a playoff contention team going to emerge? These are questions that you should seriously ask yourself. It's time for action! The fire needs to return. How are you going to do this? As a fan & follower of this team I implore you to do the following: gut the organization from the front office, to the coaches, to the team itself. People have to go. The excuses have to go. The lack of team leadership has to go. I love Joe Sakic, but even he may have to go. Another recommendation, bring back Mr. Roy!!! Pronto. His face & name, like it or not, represents the franchise. His passion is what made the team & is what can drive the team. Another suggestion, read & respond to your fans' post on your social media. Many have a dire attitude on the site that is quickly spreading. When your fans have no hope, don't expect to get their money. In short, make some wise changes quickly & painfully, bring back Mr. Roy, & listen to your fans.

To you Mr. Patrick Roy, I have loved you when I was 16 & had no permanent team. Why? 1. I couldn't stand Detroit. 2. You stood up to Detroit by fighting their goalies (granted, it's not so appealing as an adult, but...). 3. Your passion for the game was contagious. Great players have that passion, & they utilize it. You did that, winning 2 Stanley Cup championships with the Avs.  (Side note: thank you for getting John LeClair & Chris Chelios a championship). Having said that, your passion can also be a little egotistical from time to time. (Remember the Statue of Liberty play; if not, You Tube has it on there). That ego can hurt a dynamic & create problems for anyone. "There is no I in team," is the popular saying & with good reason. A team needs a leader, but also shares the struggles & victory. You win as a team, and you lose as a team. I appreciate the fact that you stepped up to the challenge in the first place. Having said that, leaving a team so close to training because the organization would not give you want you want, was selfish & egotistical. You didn't do what was best for the team; you did what was best for you. In some cases, that's acceptable, but not in this case. This team, now, has won a game, ending a 5 game losing steak, and are in last place. The fans have no optimism and see a bleak future. Your walking out didn't help. What it said was, "This team sucks, and I can't do anything about it." You may not have wanted it to come off that way, but it came off that way. I would dare to say that your quitting set them up for failure. It's not all of your fault (see above). You do have a chance to correct it though. Whether you like it or not, you are still an Avalanche, & that team still need you. Then NHL need you. You bring a passion to the game that I haven't really seen. Your spark is there. Come back and lead this team. Resolve your conflicts with the manager and help the team and your fans. These fans embraced you after your disastrous end with the Canadiens. No, you don't owe them anything. You owe no one anything, but doing the right thing would at least help get the Avalanche back on path. Please come back and get them back on path of winning. There's my implore to you. (Here's the French translation according to Google Translate: Pour vous, monsieur Patrick Roy, je vous ai aimé à 16 ans et je n'avais pas d'équipe permanente. Pourquoi? 1. Je ne pouvais pas supporter Detroit. 2. Vous vous êtes tenu debout à Detroit en combattant leurs gardiens (accordé, il n'est pas si attrayant comme un adulte, mais ...). 3. Votre passion pour le jeu était contagieuse. Les grands joueurs ont cette passion, et ils l'utilisent. Vous l'avez fait, en remportant 2 championnats de la Coupe Stanley avec les Avs. (Note de côté: merci d'avoir John LeClair et Chris Chelios un championnat). Cela dit, votre passion peut aussi être un peu égoïste de temps en temps. (Rappelez-vous la Statue de la Liberté jouer, sinon, You Tube a là-bas). Cet ego peut nuire à une dynamique et créer des problèmes pour n'importe qui. «Il n'y a pas de moi dans l'équipe,» est le dicton populaire et avec une bonne raison. Une équipe a besoin d'un leader, mais partage également les luttes et la victoire. Vous gagnez en équipe, et vous perdez en équipe. J'apprécie le fait que vous ayez relevé le défi en premier lieu. Cela dit, laisser une équipe si proche de la formation parce que l'organisation ne vous donnerait pas envie que vous voulez, a été égoïste et égoïste. Vous n'avez pas fait ce qui était le mieux pour l'équipe; Vous avez fait ce qui était le mieux pour vous. Dans certains cas, c'est acceptable, mais pas dans ce cas. Cette équipe, maintenant, a remporté un match, mettant fin à un 5 match perdre steak, et sont à la dernière place. Les fans n'ont aucun optimisme et voient un avenir sombre. Votre marche ne m'a pas aidé. Ce qu'il a dit était, "Cette équipe suce, et je ne peux rien faire à ce sujet." Vous n'avez peut-être pas voulu que cela se produise de cette façon, mais il est sorti de cette façon. J'oserais dire que votre départ les a mis en échec. Ce n'est pas de ta faute (voir ci-dessus). Vous avez une chance de le corriger. Que vous le vouliez ou non, vous êtes toujours une Avalanche, et cette équipe a encore besoin de vous. Ensuite, la LNH a besoin de vous. Vous apportez une passion au jeu que je n'ai pas vraiment vu. Votre étincelle est là. Revenez et dirigez cette équipe. Résolvez vos conflits avec le gestionnaire et aidez l'équipe et vos fans. Ces fans vous ont embrassé après votre désastreuse fin avec les Canadiens. Non, vous ne leur devez rien. Vous ne devez rien, mais faire la bonne chose au moins aider à obtenir l'avalanche sur le chemin. S'il vous plaît revenir et les ramener sur la voie de la victoire. Voilà mon implore.)

That is my say. I pray that the Avs get it together. The fans deserve better. NHL deserves better. If you read it, thanks. If not, at least I had my say. Here's praying for some improvement! God Bless!