playoff update...

Nick if you're reading this, you should probably stop about now because it's going to be a 'rant' about hockey...

I just finished watching two separate videos on tsn.ca (OK it was more than two but there are two that i want to talk about) and both of them showed the 'human side' of the hockey players, which I sometimes find more interesting...sure we know who they are ON the ice, but it's nice to see them off the ice to.

The first one I watched was about the Washington Capitals defenseman Mike Green...actually it was about his dad, Dave Green, who has become a good luck charm (of sorts) for the team. Most recently Dave joined the team while they were in the first round, losing 3 games to 0. They ended up winning that series (winning 4 games straight) and advancing to the second round (where they are currently up 2 game to 0). There was a great bit about the new (or re-established) father/son relationship...Mike even jokingly said that it was nice that he could go out and have a beer with his dad now. This isn't the first time that Dave has brought luck to his son and the team, the story said that when Dave went to a game in February he witnessed his son break an NHL record for defensemen scoring in 8 straight games. The video also said that Dave now is kind of a celebrity in Washington, being recognized by fans that want autographs and pictures...with Dave, not his son (at the games of course, while Mike is on the ice). I thought it was a cute story and made me smile.

The second video that I watched was about a forward for the Chicago Blackhawks, Dustin Byfuglien, is 24 years old and is finally finding his place in the NHL...apparently Dustin (who I admit i had never heard of before) had taken a year off, a few years back, where he gained a bunch of weight and didn't do much (if any) training. When he decided to return he was out of shape but still didn't make great attempts to get back at it. But apparently he had the talent, he just needed the training and the motivation to be all that he could be (or that's how I understood the story). He has found his stride as a hockey player and now has a permanent place with the Blackhawks...they also mentioned that he usually played defense but with his size they moved him to forward and he has been annoying opposing defensemen and goalies ever since!

Now I'm not exactly cheering for the Capitals (in fact I am REALLY hoping the Penguins turn the series around and end up winning) but I really liked the story about Green and his father and like I've said before, I'll officially call myself a fan of him...and his father. As for Byfuglien and the Blackhawks, I'm hoping that they beat the Canucks and advance to the 3rd round.

That's all for now...Nick if you ended up reading the whole thing, don't say I didn't warn you. :P