The Heritage Classic Hockey Weekend – that includes the Monday

Some memorable games this past weekend. And as there were many early games, I got to watch plenty of hockey this weekend, yay!

Unless you live under a rock you know it was time for the Heritage Classic. And unlike the Winter Classic, this time around, there was plenty of snow! Maybe they should have called this one the Winter Classic ;)

Let me start by saying that I love hating on the Habs. It is my duty as a Flyers and Leafies fan. But even if it had not been my duty, I still would have hated them due their annoying trolling fanbase and PK Subban. Talented as hell, but a lousy personality on ice and so far nothing has hinted at him being a wonderful person off-ice. So before I list my thoughts about this game, let me just say … HELL YEAH! A 4-0 shut-out for the Flames. No, the Price certainly was not right *hahah lame joke, I know*

Things to remember:

-          It was really cold, they reported at least -15, but apparently it felt even colder; just breathing must have been an act of epic proportions

-          If I had been in the crowd, I would have worn several layers of clothing, a warm hat of sorts, thermal underwear, thermal socks, warm boots, a blanket and maybe even ear warmers

-          The ice was extremely bumpy. It made for fun bouncing pucks. And the reason the Habs gave for losing: their game is made up largely of passing, so they were at a disadvantage because of the bumpy ice. Whatever, they just lost because the Flames were so much better

-          A 4-0 shut-out and the first one on open ice. Great stuff

How did my two hockey loves fare?

The Flyers beat the Rags for the 4^th time this season. Way to go! Although why they felt the need to give up a 3-0 lead is beyond me ;) … they got a bit complacent. But alright, they pulled through in the end, so I will not complain.

And the Leafies unfortunately lost in SO, but it certainly was not for lack of trying. They really played well, full out energy, but the Sens’ new goalie – Anderson – was on fire during his first game and denied us a score during regulation and OT. What a guy though, I am the world’s biggest softy, so I was happy for him to have such a great first game. He picked up the first star. And my favourite Leafie Reims picked up the second star. He was truly awesome! And he got his second shut-out. What a fine Leafie he has proven to be.

And in other related news:

The Isles are continuing to impress me! They beat the Panthers 5-1 and Moulson got himself a hattrick. *musing* Hattricks have got to be good for business, because lots of people will be buying new hats after throwing their hats on the ice. Beaten Panthers are also beneficial  to my Leafies in vying for that 8^th spot on the Division. I know I’m deluded for keeping my hopes up that they will make the play-offs, but I just cannot stop myself ;)

My worries about tonight:

So, my Leafies are playing the Isles! Hah, with the current crazy scoring antics of the Isles I have to admit I am bit worried! I know that the Leafies can take them on, but for some reason they always seem to struggle a bit with (fellow) cellar dwellers. But I have to keep the faith. My Leafies will win! *mutters several prayers and sends Reims good vibes*

And my Flyboys play the Yotes tonight. These guys have been on 7-game winning streak. So time for them to cash in a loss *chuckle*. I know this should be easy for the Flyers, but am keeping my fingers crossed anyways. Waking up tomorrow morning and checking the results, will be a nerve-wrecking experience!

The First

I was just writing an email message to a fellow hockey fan. Giving my opinion about the games I saw last night. And with me writing short email messages tends to grow out of hand real soon. Keeping messages short is a real challenge and this time I even went with listing my thoughts, rather than share them in essay form. Still, I ended up with a huge messsage and I thought to myself, I might as well post this on a blog. Not that I think that what I have to say is of much interest to a veteran hockey fan, but at least I can put all those written words to some use and maybe entertain some other folks on occasion. Oh yes, because my views are insightful and very witty. Hahah, at least I wish that was true!


Let me just start with some basics. I am Dutch, live near Amsterdam, have tonnes of hobbies, but my current number one addiction is Hockey! And I am talking about Ice Hockey, not the other more summery kind. For Europeans it is necessary to clarify this. In Holland for instance, when you say hockey, people automatically assume you are talking about field hockey. Although that is an interesting sport, it is by no means as great as Ice Hockey. In my humble opinion of course!


How did I come to love this great sport? It started way back in time, not even sure when, at least 25-30 years ago I'd say, when I first saw the Winter Olympics. Ever since my first Winter Olympics experience, hockey has been a favourite. But apart from the Winter Olympics, hockey was and still is, a non-entity in the Netherlands. So occasionally I would catch a glimps of hockey on Eurosport or maybe see the NHL mentioned somewhere, but that's it. But this season, everything is different. I found some fun communities on Facebook and even better ... ESPN America as provided by my cable company! And somewhere during my first weeks of real exposure to the NHL, I fell in love with the Philadelpia Flyers and the Toronto Maple Leafs. And with some other teams as well I suppose, but no, these are my two real hockey loves. I have been laughed at for loving the Leafs - hahah, mostly by my fellow Flyers fans - but I don't care! xD


The Flyers, maybe it's the Orange they wear, but also the fact that at the start of the season, the NHL didn't give them any love. Even now it seems a reluctant sort of respect my Flyers get from the NHL. It annoys me, but well, I usually root for underdogs, so that's what made me pay extra close attention to them. And to me they are the best team in the NHL. Not one crybaby star player in sight, but a bunch of hyper-talented and dedicated guys! Marvelous.


The Leafs, ah my Leafies! Over the years even I had at times been exposed to the Leafs. A franchise with so much history. When I saw them dwell in the lower regions of the Eastern Conference, my heart just went out to them. Whatever may be said about their GM or coach, when I see those guys on the ice ... I am usually  hit with pride anyways. They may struggle, but they keep fighting and most of my Leafies are very talented and show some great personality as well. I know it's tough on the fanbase to stay loyal when things aren't going the way we want to, but I'm going to stick with them.


There are great other teams and athletes in the NHL, as well as some less amazing teams who still get some of my hockey-love hahah. I will at times also cheer the Oilers, Caps, Bolts and Ducks. And lately, the Isles have been such a fun team to watch, that with some guilt and embarrassment I have silently started to root for them as well. OK, not so silently now that I have written about it in this blog :D ... hmm and I probably should admit I have a Western Conference favourite: Red Wings. Pavel Datsyuk rules.


Well, my first blog post ever. I am a bit excited I must admit. Eventhough I know I will be the only one reading it! *chuckles*