How we got that far is a story onto itself and our season came to an end one week after one of the best memories I’ll have in my hockey career. On paper the Ice Dragons weren’t worth a second glance. We posted a 7-8-0-1 record for 15 points, one above the team at the bottom of the B division. After a stretch of losses the team was moved to C division where the victories came easier and the games had less meaning. After a few weeks of accumulating wins we were moved back to B division and were given a harsh wake up call.

It seemed that every team got exceptionally better in between seasons and we stayed the same. There was no middle ground for us, it was either an easy victory in C division or a lopsided affair in B division. Having nearly identical rosters to last year I can only assume everyone else stepped up their game, or played a little bit harder against us.

Our regular season ended with two victories in a row and we were slotted to face the Yellow Pencils in a first round matchup. The Pencils had a dominating record of 11-4-0-1 and with the exception of a few forfeits they were the best team in the division. We lost the first game, fielded a larger roster for the second game and staved off elimination.

A few days later we met for the third and deciding game. We had eight skaters and the odds stacked against us. It was a strong game on our end as we didn’t show signs of being short and had the Yellow Pencils number. With the seconds ticking down the Yellow Pencils tied the game and we were heading to a shootout.

After the first three skaters went we were tied at one apiece and it was my chance to go one on one with the goalie. I may not remember all of the goals I score but from the blue line to celebration I remember my position, where the puck was and what I was thinking. I came in on the left, cut across in front and hit top shelf. I thought about back hand, deke or something else but as I went left to right I knew what I was going to do and after that goal I had a grin on my face for hours.

Some controversy followed from the opposition as to who would shoot next, but it didn’t matter, they missed and we celebrated hard.

Next up were our arch rivals the AMS Shredders. We lost all of our regular season games against them this year but knew we they could be beaten. We had back to back games scheduled and the score card will show them winning both but not without a fight.

For the second Friday in a row the Ice Dragons were short benched with eight skaters and were in an elimination game. Sadly the outcome was different this time. It was a solid effort from everyone on the Dragons as we overcame an early deficit and killed off several penalties. The Shredders scored with 16 minutes left and we were heading to another shootout.

Instead of being a part of the celebration we watched these jerks celebrate a shootout victory over us for the second year in a row. With their top competition (Yellow Pencils) removed from the playoffs the B division is theirs for the taking in a second year in a row and we’ll be looking forward to the playoffs next year for revenge.

Pushing aside the bitterness of this loss it was still another fun year being a part of the Ice Dragons. My assist amount decreased this season from last, but I made up for it by scoring the most goals I had in any Ice Dragons uniform.

Our team had a lot of returning players from the 2010 season and it made for a tight knit group. The new players fit in well and I would be pleased to have everyone come back for a fourth Ice Dragons season. The team Gord started in 2009 has come a long way and hopefully one year we’ll get to know what the Finals taste like and have a chance at claiming a division championship.

Until then I will be thinking about this all summer long (again): stupid short bench, stupid Flyers Shredders.

Photos from this season can be found in my gallery here. Photos from the Shredders playoff games will be added this weekend.

For better or worse the 2011 NHL Playoffs have come to a close. I was able to watch the Vancouver Canucks play until the middle of June, and with a game almost every other night I had it all. My alcohol consumption increased, I grew a few more gray hairs during the stressful first round against Chicago and suffered the devastation of a second Stanley Cup Final Game 7 loss.

Over the last few years I had some heavy superstitions and there were periods I thought that simply by watching the game would affect the outcome. For a stretch Vancouver won more games when I didn’t watch than when I did. In 2009 and 2010 I grew a playoff beard and on May 11 in both years I shaved them off after Vancouver lost to Chicago after six games.

I felt that 2011 would hold playoff success so I opted to not grow a beard. If I looked like a sleazy pirate after a month the results of going unshaven for two months would be a thing of bewilderment and ridicule.

I kept a routine but it wasn’t as visible, and it didn’t affect my hygiene. Instead of growing a beard I allowed myself to shave except on game days. I would rotate through my Canucks jerseys as I watched the game at home. I didn’t have a set order I went through the decades of jerseys, but each one has been worn several times since April.

During Game 7 of the first round I decided to have a shot of alcohol every time someone scored. It was a low scoring affair with only one goal for Vancouver in regulation, but when Burrows capitalized on a Campoli turn over I didn’t hold back and had a few shots of Alize. That developed the routine of taking a shot of Alize on each Vancouver goal in any elimination game, in addition to having a few at the end of a series. This was all on top of the beer or rum and coke mix I had.

In the rounds against Nashville and San Jose my traditions stayed in check. Because of schedules I wasn’t able to see all of the San Jose games live, but the curse had been broken and the Canucks did fine without me watching. This bit of knowledge was useful when the Finals came and I had to miss a few games due to a U2 concert and Ice Dragons hockey games.

At the end of the Stanley Cup Final this culminated in an all our drink fest. A scoreless hockey game, a difficult first period goal and the weight of a good season hanging in the balance meant that last night got sloppy, something that would have happened if the score was in Vancouver’s favor and they had won.

It’s going to be a long off season, and an even longer time until April when playoffs start back up and I decide how superstitious I am going to be.

This year the beard lasted 27 days, April 15 – May 11, before the dream died. This year felt different, the team was a year older, Henrik Sedin had a phenomenal year, the Canucks had a stellar home record and we were going to go far. After a few shaky performances against Los Angeles we were lined up for a round against Chicago, something the team wanted when the regular season ended.

Where is the problem? What is preventing us from going to the next round? San Jose has been a constant threat to win the Cup, but would always fall short, and after years of criticism finally proved themselves and are positioned to give their fans something they have been expecting for years. Will Vancouver go through the same lackluster performance in the playoffs like San Jose did? Or will the team fall short of expectations and eventually go through a rebuilding phase?

All these questions and all I have is the aftermath of a month of not shaving and the hope that next year will be different. Perhaps these beard posts will become a yearly tradition where everything falls just short of winning it all.

Enough speculation, one thing that we do know is that my beard didn’t grow properly this season. I still have a French look, my cheeks were bare and smooth and the goatee looked faint from a distance. Here are two photos a day for 27 days combined into an animation. There are two sizes available, one is 300×305 (3MB) and the other is 500×508 (7.8MB).

Maybe next year it will be different…maybe

Again, the word ‘beard’ is used loosely, I don’t know if I will be able to better the growth I did last May. Perhaps I can last more than 27 days? Time, and my face, will tell.

A dream that would have taken the Canucks all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. This year felt different, it felt like we had a chance. We came off an amazing second half and went into the first round of the playoffs with a full roster.

To celebrate the occasion I decided to grow a playoff beard. No razor would touch my face as long as the Canucks were still in the post season. I have neglected to shave before, usually over a weekend, but the only area that would see growth was a perfectly formed goatee. I felt that this challenge would be a good way to find out what can grow where, and how much.

I was one day shy of going four full weeks without shaving, almost went the duration of Survivor, and then the Chicago Blackhawks came along and outgunned my team in a thrilling sixth, and deciding, game. I held a moment of silence for my team and my recently crushed hopes and shaved off the beard.

The aftermath wasn’t pretty but the end result was a smooth face I had not felt in a long time. When I was all done I realized how much I licked my upper lip because I never quite got used to the feeling of the bristly mustache. Most people said I looked very French, not sure if that was a compliment or an insult. Either way, it was a sight to behold as it grew in a very sleazy way.

Forty-nine photos were used in the animated image of the playoff beard, but if you want to see it a little better you can see it in 334×338 (2.8MB) or the larger version of 556×553 (7.2MB).

Thanks for the season Canucks, one day we will reach our dream together.

Which leads me to an interesting fact about the Canucks series victory. In addition to being their first series sweep in franchise history, it is also the first time the Canucks have won a series in under seven games since 1994. And the memories of 1994 are still very real to me. I am not one to get wrapped up in stats or history, but if this playoff run is going to be different from ones before it then it certainly is off to a good start.

The advancement to the second round also means by playoff beard will be around for another week or two. However the results have been less than impressive but it amuses everyone who sees it. I can only hope that if Vancouver goes deep into the playoffs that my beard doesn’t become the source of great shame while I support my team.

Tube Steak Challenge

I prefer to do my NHL gaming on XBOX so when I was looking up information on the cost of the game for XBOX I was surprised to see that it was not being released for that platform.

EA Sports LogoPC, XBOX 360, PS3 and even PS2 were getting the next EA Sports game.

Why not XBOX? EA developed for the one year older PS2 but not the XBOX. An interesting move. I found this pretty unusual but at least I can get my NHL fix with a PS2.

Although if I am feeling nostalgic and want to do more work in my NHL 07 Dyntasty following a game of NHL 08 it will require a little bit of effort.

I have played NHL 07 on the 360 and it was a different experience all together. Once I get the PS2 back together (it has been having some disc read errors) I will try out NHL 08 and wish that Canucks I cheer for were doing as good as my Dyntasty team.

History
Bure Penalty ShotThirteen years ago Vancouver made it to the Cup Finals.

I was a fan before this time but their trip to the Finals sealed the deal as a fan for life.

Unfortunately I was quite young when this happened and I have forgot what it felt like being down 3-1 in a series or winning a game and series in double overtime.

That is why I was so excited when I came across this site. There are series breakdowns, audio clips from interviews and a few images from that magical summer.

Some moments I do remember. For example, the double overtime game seven against Calgary.

…Jeff Brown made a pass from his blueline up to the far blueline onto the stick of Bure, who was in full flight. In all alone, Bure faked to his backhand and pulled the puck to his forehand, wrapping the puck around the outstretched pad of Vernon and into the net for the series-winning goal.

I remember being home alone watching the game and when Bure scored I tore off through the house yelling and showing my excitement. I even fell down some stairs I was so elated.

Since then my celebrations have been toned down but a big goal can still get me running around the house.

Yes, hockey season is back and I am ready for it again.

In the afternoon the new song from The White Stripes Icky Thump was released to the airwaves and I was able to get my hand on a digital copy where I listened to it over and over again.

It took a few listens but I got into it and the return of guitars have be excited for this record.

As I got in my car Sonic started playing Icky Thump and I rolled the windows down and enjoyed a beautiful drive home with a fantastic song.

While waiting for an early release of Lost to finish download I checked a White Stripes message board for details on their Canadian tour and there were dates posted!

Obviously traveling to Yukon or Northwest Territories is not feasible but the local ones are. To see the whole tour click here. But the following is what I have in mind.

June 29, 2007
The Pengrowth Saddledome
Calgary, AB

June 30, 2007
Shaw Convention Center
Edmonton, AB

July 1, 2007
TCU Place
Saskatoon, SK

July 2, 2007
MTS Centre
Winnipeg, MB

Obviously I will be going Calgary and Edmonton, but Saskatoon and Winnipeg are tempting. If you are going to Saskatchewan, you might as well go to Manitoba, right?

I am filled with utter excitement. And in an hour Vancouver starts their series against Anaheim. I don’t care what they say Wednesday, you do rule!

When Aaron and I went to Banff last month I wanted to go there and back on a single tank of diesel. Sadly it was not in the cards and had to put some extra fuel in close to home. Last night, however, was an unexpected stress test for the fuel consumption of the Jetta.

My readings for mileage left in the tank showed that I had nothing to worry about. My round trip to work was 130km, and it showed 150km remaining. But as I merged onto the Whitemud heading to work the readings dropped dramatically. I played it safe. No major accelerations, did the speed limit and let off the gas where I could.

I got to work no problem, but I was 20km away from my regular gas station and the mileage left in the tank said I had 50km to go before the car became a huge obstacle on the road. I start driving away from work in the evening, on way to begin my expedition and the mileage remaining drops to 40. I hold my breath and continue to do the speed limit on Whitemud. 30. Oh dear, I’m about 8km away, I am sure I can make it.

I roll into Petro-Canada on the south side of Edmonton with over 900km on my trip meter and mileage remaining showing at 20. Just in time!

When I awoke I checked the score and it was 3-1 Edmonton. I am not sure what to make of this curse I have with Vancouver, or if Edmonton just has their number but I hope it ends soon because I can’t miss a playoff game.