.....where 75 percent of the holiday shoppers at the Mall of America believe Chris Simon should have received more than 30 games.
Kidding. Didn't conduct a poll. What do I look like, Louis Harris?
Anyway, the joint is so big I couldn't find the entrance. Think it's in another county.
Personally, I think Simon should have been gone for the season. He admittedly needs counseling. Your thoughts?
Missed Rangers practice while travelling to the airport. Not only was I not there, neither was Brendan Shanahan (rest).
Drifted into a sleep-deprived fugue-state watching the endless cloud layer, reading stats and listening to the MP3 which was running through the "T"s:
Think it over/Thorns
Thinking it Over/John Entwistle
Third Degree/Eric Clapton
This Diamond Ring/Al Kooper
This is it/Ryan Adams
This Love/ String Quartet plays Maroon 5
This Year's Love/David Gray
Ticket to Ride/Beatles
Till There Was You/Smithereens
Three Down/Waifs
Three Little Birds/Bob Marley
Thunder Road (live)/Springsteen
Time Has Come Today/Willy DeVille
Time of the Season/Zombies
Today/Jefferson Airplane
Too Drunk to Dream/Whiskeytown
Too Much/Guy Clark
Too Much Ain't Enough/Tom Petty
Tumbling Dice/Stones
Some deep tracks. But a gust of fresh Minnesota air snapped me out of the sonic afterburn.
Just wondering: How did Prince and Ted Baxter thrive here?
Anyway, the Jekyll-and-Hyde Rangers kick off their three games in four nights saga against formidable opponents starting tomorrow here against the Wild, followed by the Avalanche in Colorado and then back home to host the streaking Senators (6-0). Major challenge, especially without Sean Avery.
If I were to make a list and check it twice---which I've been doing with my lovely wife to prepare for the annual holiday bash at Chez Zipay on Saturday (let's see, appetizers, meatballs, lasagne, stuffed cabbage, kielbasa, chicken cutlets, chili, my aunt's fabulous zucchini pie, cheeses, salads, open bar, guitars, bass, piano and drums, we're getting there)---I'd consider four points out of six an accomplishment.
But who knows, these guys are hard to figure, right?
I'm guessing Henrik won't have it easy. But he may be onboard for another hot streak; he certainly wasn't tested in the first 40 minutes on Tuesday.
Expect a low-scoring game against the Wild, a higher one in the Rockies. Mistakes could turn the tide in both.
More later or from the morning skate at the X-Cel Energy Center...
Swing back, y'all....
Comments (11)
I love zucchini pie! Thanks for reminding me; I'll make it this week. (If this isn't an atypical hockey blog comment, I don't know what is.) Avery. There, now it's relevant.
I hope that live Thunder Road track is from The Boss' 1975 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in London. It's arguably my favorite recorded live performance ever. Then again, I'm no music expert...or hockey expert for that matter...
t's in my playlist, you probably dont wanna know...
Thrones of Blood/Suffocation
The Camera Eye/Rush
Simon... was a nice guy when I met him after a Rangers game. I believe he was with his wife and baby. Beyond that, Im suprised the NHL didnt suspend him for longer than 30 days. Lots of crazy hits and suspensions behind handed out.
I agree with you, Steve. Chris Simon should've been gone for the season. I mean, really, how much more is he going to have to do for the league to ban him a year? Or better yet, toss him out of the league? Both of Simons transgressions have happened within this calendar year...9 months to be exact.
Not neccesarily something to be proud of...having the 2 longest suspensions in the history of the NHL.
That being said, i really hope he gets the help he needs, and that his recovery becomes his number one priority.
I'll be at the game Thursday night rooting on the boys. Hopefully we can get a win, but Xcel can be a hard place to play.
Simon is dangerous. Regardless of how nice he is in public, the man should no longer be able to play in this league.
Now if this would have happened in a larger market, say Toronto or Montreal, he would totally be gone forever.
Hoping that he gets the help he needs is a nice, but there is no help for people like this. Only bars!
Translate this behavoir into everyday life and he's arrested and going to jail.
Simon is a toolbox, Nolan is a fool for keeping the faith in him for so long and it's a good thing that kid isn't going to suffer any real damage in the long term.
The NHL is has failed to protect it's investments in players by letting this clown, goon, toolbox keep playing!
Shame on you Colin Campbell! 100% failure!
to back it up...
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/hockey/nhl/12/19/simon.suspensions/index.html
great addition by subtraction in simon not playing. His blood brother nolan should join him in his stupid comments, but he just continues to be in the same denial. Too bad colon doesn't have the gonads to do his job properly. It has to be a star or his son to maybe act correctly. In the meantime buttman's NHL is not able to get respect, because he is leading it into it's stereotype. The guy doesn't even understand what this sport means to Canada. The sooner he's gone, the better this sport will be.
as for Renney's Rangers, maybe he finally gets it, instead of being in his own denial.
Steve - great article today about Straka, who's quietly been one of the most consistent pickups on the Blueshirts since the 05-06 season (156 points in 177 games with the team, or about a .88 point per game avg.).
Speaking on the 05-06 season, I'm looking forward to seeing Dominic Moore play tonite for the Wild. Say what you will about his stats...the guy gave everything he had during his 2 years with the team.
Go Blueshirts!
Steve, one thing I'm unclear on: Is the suspension starting from last Saturday's game or from when Simon returns from his counselling? It seems odd to me that he'll be eligible to return at the end of February. It shouldn't run concurrently with his treatment. Personally, I'd have kicked him out of the league, but Campbell didn't ask me.
What midwestern swing is complete without "Time Will Crawl," David Bowie? And my guess is that all that northern cold PRESERVES a person, so enjoy it while you can :-)
Looking forward to seeing this Backstrom kid in goal (as well as Dom Moore. Please give him the NYR fans' regards when you see him, ok? Thanks!)
Merry Christmas from Rangerland
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1602018770
Let's hope the Rangers play another game like they did the other night