Czech Digits
There was a short blurb in ESPN: The Magazine about Colorado’s Paul Stastny switching numbers so that he can don his dad’s digits: 26. Got me thinking…..Elias wears number 26, previously sported by Peter Stastny during his time with the Devils. I’ve wondered why Elias chose 26, especially when he wore 25 and 22 in [...]
My Other Car Is a Zamboni
I have completed Zamboni Training School. I am not a licensed Zamboni driver, nor do I play one on TV (but I’d like a cameo in the adaptation of my upcoming hockey book as the Zamboni driver at South Mountain Arena), but at least now I know my way around the various knobs, levers and [...]
My Other Car Is a Zamboni
I have always wanted to learn how to drive the Zamboni,, the ice resurfacing machine that is de rigeur for anything larger than a backyard rink. Today I got my wish, attending the Zamboni Training Class at the Union Sports Arena in Union, NJ. The technology is pretty clever and has remained relatively unchanged for [...]
Negative Hanukah
If the Rangers lose one more game, they’ll have eight nights without any gifts. Negative Hanukah. Back to back shutouts. Fourteen points, mostly Eastern Conference points, in the toilet. Hockey can be a very momentum driven game. Long season, lots of intra-division and intra-conference play, and anything can happen as the Devils proved in April [...]
Elias Head, Hands and Feet
Minor props to Santana in the title: if you haven’t listened to “Head, Hands and Feet” off of the Moonflower live album (ok, CD), you should. Elias using his feet, me using my head (to yell): Was out of the country for the last week and didn’t want to miss any broadcasts, so I picked [...]
Tiger Hockey on the Prowl
Don’t look now, but the ECAC has a tiger in its tank. Namely the Princeton Tigers men’s hockey team, which has won 3 in a row and 5 of the last six, bringing them closer to 0.500 hockey than they’ve been since the days of Jeff Halpern and Syl Apps. We used to mangle the [...]
Freylacht in the (Madison Square) Garden of Eden
Where oh where to begin? Listening to non-stop Klezmer music, starting Saturday night when the Rangers’ King Henrik was responsible for a menorah’s worth of red lights (with Weekes adding the shamas)? Stewing over Saturday’s ugly Devils loss to Detroit, and knowing that a change in attitude was only a change in production away? Listening [...]
Study In Contrast
Study in Pennsylvania contrast: Sidney Crosby has 10 points in his last two games. Two goals on two shots, and a snowman worth of assists. It’s one thing to notch an assist from a shot that gets redirected, quite another to make the laser-like, tape to tape passes that seem to be a staple of [...]
If A Streak Falls In The Meadowlands
If a streak (like the Red Wing’s 13 years without a win) falls in the Meadowlands, and there’s nobody in the stands to hear it, does it still matter? If you’re on the short end of a 2-1 decision, which was a turnaround from a one-goal lead, yes. The Wings pulled one out of the [...]
Borat’s Christmas in Wales
Borat isn’t the only person to emerge from Kazakhstan: Max Birbraer was born in the Kazakh Republic, emigrated to Israel (yes, he’s Jewish), was recruited to play junior hockey in Canada, then got drafted in the 2000 entry draft’s third round by the NJ Devils. From there it was Albany, the ECHL, and now the [...]