And So It Ends

Last Single-Team Player Retires?

Joe Sakic (aka, the Vampire Lestat of the Avalanche) announced his retirement and I am actually sad about that. Best of luck to him in future endeavors.

It prompts a question for hockey fans: Do you believe we'll ever see another player spend his entire career with the same club again?

Current trends indicate a big, frickin' NO.

In Other Headlines

Four Habs Fans and many of their readers/commentators - including yours truly - mourn the loss of Saku Koivu to the Anaheim (Not So Mighty) Ducks. Good on you, HF10, for this.

Still working on sorting my feelings about the signings here,
Flyers.Femme
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Help!

I am still alive.

First, if you used to be in the blogroll or links, send me an email to ensure you're put back there. (Blogger PMSed about my template and I'm still contemplating a permanent move to WordPress because of it.)

So, real life has been changing a bit lately.

• Personal life: more interesting of late, though not willing to share deets. This is a hockey blog, not a girlie-relationships one.
  
• Professional life: so not going there. Although, my co-workers who are friends had me a belated birthday bash this past Friday that was great...
  
• Home life: probably having to move due to renovations jacking the rent. Argh!
  

All that said, I have not forgotten that hockey is my boyfriend...a demanding, if somewhat unsatisfying one.

Being the honest person I am, I have to say I couldn't blog about the end of the Flyers season. (Read: That was the unsatisfying part.) I wanted the guys to do well but it wasn't meant to be.

Here's the demanding part for me: splitting my attention between the post-season games and various chats at work with the guys about how the Flyers are going to handle the cap sitch and the goalie sitch and the every- and anything else sitch.

So, if you're a Flyers fan, what would you do to get the team ready for a run next season?

• Who do we keep?
  
• Who do we let go?
  
• Who do we get?
• What will replace the Phantoms?
  

Go wild, dream big, and share your thoughts in the comments.

Oh, and go Red Wings. Dudes, you're the overdogs of the NHL but I enjoy the misery of the Pens fans at work too much to be against you. And the people of Michigan could use a pick-me-up right about now.

Returning to my greater Cleveland roots for the rest of the season,
Flyers.Femme
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Remix: Flyers 07-08 Soundtrack

It's all there: Hope, love/hate, good times, a black shirt and some torture, a few rockin' Aussies, an annoying pop princess, a little punk, and a feel-good summer song.

1. Shop Around - The Miracles

Homer canabalized the remains of the Bobby Clarke dinosaurish Flyers line-up from the season which shall not be named and went on a shopping spree last summer!

2. Whistle While You Work - Snow White

Coach Stevens decided to hie the boys to a ropes course in Whistler, BC for some team-building. (I was completely envious!)

3. Light My Fire - The Doors

Kick @$$ Western road-trip to start the season, when it looked like that Briere-Gagne thing would piss everyone in the NHL off for 82 games.

4. Welcome to the Jungle - G n R

First six homes games ROCKED! (Note to Wachovia sound guys during Flyers games: The proper place to play this is the intermission between the end of the third and the start of overtime. No other time is acceptable, unless your aim is to make them lose! And, in that case, you should be fired.)

5. Are You Gonna Go My Way? - Lenny Kravitz

The guys just turned horribly, consistently inconsistent for a good part of the season. Sometimes there were good streaks...like leading into the All-Star break. And then...

6. La Tortura - Shakira feat. Alejandro Sanz and La Camisa Negra - Juanes

The whole month of February was so painful...and I wore a lot of black.

7. Back in Black - AC/DC

Somehow we started clawing our way back into the mix.

8. Celebrate - Kool and the Gang

It was a nail-bitter to the end. Thanks to some timely wins - and other teams' timely losses - we actually made the playoffs!?! (See, I'm still a bit blown-over by it.)

9. Are You Gonna Be My Girl? - Jet
Actual video v. Live at Forum Melbourne (their hometown, yo!)

Okay, this one's just for the music. But, yes, I was! I ponied up the $ for a last-minute ticket to Game 3, hung with a bunch of Norwegians in town to see Patrick Thoresen play, saw Sami score another goal, and drank a couple too many 'ritas and beer. But they won! And took the series in 7.

10. Oops!...I Did It Again - Britney Spears

'Cause who'da thunk it? Knock out the Habs? Philly? But we did. We did! Somehow.

11. Basket Case and Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) - Green Day

And then, the Pens.

12. I'm Yours - Jason Mraz

PS track: 'Cause what's a Philly summer without some old skool rap? Drums, please!
(Just for you, Eli!)

Yep, they're on vacation. No hockey. Me, I'm just kicking it until August.

HLOG Creative Challenge

Dear Gentle Readers,

The creative challenge has returned to HLOG! The goal was for each rep to create a soundtrack for her team's past season.

For better or worse, here's mine for the Flyers. Each selection is accompanied by an explanation and links to YouTube so you can see the video. So, go, read, click and view.

Enjoy!

In Homer I Trust

But, dude, whatcha doing? What's with the draft pick stock-pile?

And in Other Musings

Dear God,

What good are June, July and August, really?

• They're just hot and humid.
  
• They provide a constant possible trigger for my asthma when I'm jogging.
• I have to jog! I can't run in that muck.
  
• They zap my appetite.
• They account for approximately 5/8 of my electric bill for the year.
  

Worst of all, the boys are on vacation because hockey isn't happening.

Going stir-crazy in Philly,

Nadine of Flyers.Femme

Yes!

Thank you, God, for small miracles

Dear Gentle Readers,

This particular one is a blonde, 6' 3", 200 lbs. center who has at least one very fine gray suit in his closet and displayed the most superbly cropped playoff beard of the 2007-08 season. (Dude, I am such a sucker for tall guys in great suits!)

So, Jeff Carter, thanks for sticking around. And Homer, thanks for finesse-ing the payroll.

Love yas!
Nadine

Coming Soon: 2007-08 Wrap-up Series

Dear hockey blogosphere friends,

It's really happening! Thanks to my male Pens BFF Justin's assistance tonight, the summer posting series is getting ready to jump into high gear.

Some of the posts in this series will be write-ins and others, hopefully, will be podcasts.

So, if you rep for a team other than the Flyers, Pens, Leafs or Habs, drop me a line by email, GoogleTalk chat or call/chat me by Skype.

Long Live Hockey!

Nadine

P.S.: You have to check this out! Thanks, Margee, for keeping us laughing.

Wanted: Flyer Intern

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I Want Evidence

Thank you, God!

It's a proven fact that Cindy Crosby is not old enough to grow a good Playoff Beard. The attempt was just painful to look at these past two months.

I want photographic and video proof that it's been shaved off!

Oh Dear God!

The 2007-08 season is over. Now what am I supposed to do?

As I pointed out early in my hockey blogging, thank God for Youtube.com and pray for August to roll around.

Although, since I'll be Sami-less, I guess I'd better do some Finnish hockey players research.

Get Nadine a New Finn!

It's true, I'm lost without Sami. (Thirteen years - season played before draft to retirement - is a long time!) So, I'm taking nominations for my new favorite Finnish player. Suggestions will be accepted from anyone. Please include:

• Name
  
• Vital stats
• Position (bonus points for goalies)
  
• Team, and
• Why I should pay attention to him, particularly if your suggestion isn't Kimmo Timonen (who should have been captain), Lasse Kukkonen (who was featured on my Happy New Year card and makes me smile for no apparent reason) or Antero Niittymäki (who probably has the best post-hip surgery flexibility for a goalie I've seen in, well, forever).

I've Returned!

Turning 30: Check!

Here's the summary of the birthday happenings:

• Quality time spent playing with Diesel, the parents' King Shepard/Great Dane mix.
• Time bonding with former hockey playing, Younger Brother #1 in La Barra Brava at the 3-2 DC United win over Toronto.
• Laughs shared with Younger Brother #2 and his wife, thereby increasing her Big Sister Stamp of Approval rating.
• Hanging with Mom and Dad who are the best parents I could have been given.

Honestly, we are so normal we're abnormal!

Cool birthday loot was received and it included both pretty and just-for-fun items.

(ALAS, THE FLYERS CHOSE NOT TO SEND ME A THING, MUCH LESS THE 08-09 SEASON TICKETS I WOULD HAVE LOVED. DUDES, YOU COULD HAVE GIVEN ME A CRAP SEAT AND I WOULD HAVE BEEN SO GRATEFUL!)

Shout-Outs!

Justin: I'm officially proclaiming you my male Pens BFF for your basic appreciation of Hockey and your rationality.
Alanna: Welcome, nice to hear from you! Give blogging a try. It's not for everyone, but you won't know until you make the attempt.
K-Mart: I counting you among my male Flyers BFFs.

Business at Hand

I'm plotting the schedule for season wrap-ups and previews for the various teams. More deets to come, so check back on a semi-regular basis (read: 2-3 times each week).

If you've expressed your interest, please email me so that I have a reliable way to reach you. Also, let me know if you use Skype.

If you're just learning about the possibility of contributing to the summer posting schedule here on Flyers.Femme, email me to let me know and tell me if you use Skype.

If you're not interested, that's fine. Hopefully you'll stick around to be a Gentle Reader.

Have a grrrrreat weekend everyone!
Nadine

Request: Interest in Off-Season Posts

Attention, hockey bloggers!

If you are:

1. A serious hockey fan,
2. Civilized,
3. Capable of posting under a name other than "Anonymous," and
4. Have interest in providing an 07/08 wrap-up and 08/09 preview

Contact me!

I'm plotting an off-season schedule that includes written interviews, audio and maybe even video posts and podcasts for every NHL team. Ideally, I'd like to spotlight my HLOG sisters and any interested male bloggers for each team.

Happy Summer!

Nadine of Flyers.Femme