My dear Twitter friend and fellow Boston hockey blogger @cameronfrye and I had the opportunity to attend and cover WBCN and Aaron Ward’s Cuts for a Cure event on Wednesday afternoon. While she is the far better photographer than I – it helps that she has the souped up, newer version of my trusty ol’ Kodak – I tried my best to snap some interesting photos myself of the Boston Bruins players who offered their locks up for shearing by the highest bidder.
Author: Kat (Page 56 of 89)
Because I always must take charge and plan things, I took it upon myself (after a Twitter discussion with my fave Bemidji State fan @kellyschultz) to plan an informal Frozen Four TweetUp (a meeting of Twitter users.)
Hockey Twitterers who will be at the Frozen Four this week, let’s all meet up at the Penn Quarter Sports Tavern at 5pm on Friday afternoon. The tavern is in close proximity to the arena, so if you are attending Friday Night at the Frozen Four, you will be able to get there quickly after meeting up with us. As I think is the plan with most TweetUps, food and drink are on your own.
If you will be joining us, if you could Direct Message or reply to me (@sportsgirlkat) just so I know how many to make room for at the Tavern, that would be mucho grande appreciated.
See you in the Nation’s Capital!
So for those of you wondering where I have been the last few days, I have been finalizing my plans to travel to Washington D.C. this upcoming Thursday for the NCAA Men’s Hockey Frozen Four. Boston University clinched a space in the “Big Dance” by defeating the University of New Hampshire last Sunday in a game that definitely counted as a heart attack stress test.
Just like many of my friends and colleagues did in January, I am emptying my savings accounts to partake in a once-in-a-lifetime experience in our nation’s capital. Except my once-in-a-lifetime experience doesn’t involve watching the President’s inauguration, but watching a college hockey team. It’s one of those moments where I feel…hmm…less academic and more frivolous than most people. But what can you do?
If there is anything in particular you would like me to report back on from D.C., please let me know. Anything in particular that you want me to take pictures of? Let me know, and I will try to oblige.
After giving Everyone’s Favorite Goalie, John Curry, a fellow Hockey East alum earlier in the week – Northeastern senior Joe Vitale – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins surprised us college hockey fans, and it seems others, by signing Northeastern junior goalie Brad Thiessen on Friday.
Although some had speculated he might leave school early (including myself very briefly last weekend before his team’s NCAA semifinal loss to Cornell), I don’t know if it was particularly expected. Especially a move to the Penguins organization, which seems to be stockpiling goalies like 1950s families stocked canned vegetables in fail-safe shelters. (At the end of the world, there is not such a thing as too many cans of creamed corn. Or, it seems, too many undrafted college goalies.)
What does this mean for Everyone’s Favorite Goalie? Is this a confirmation of his spot as the somewhat-revitalized Marc-Andre Fleury’s backup next season? Or does the Penguins organization think that they want to have some grand goalie cage match next training camp? Thiessen, Curry, Fleury, Dave Brown, Chad Johnson and Adam Berkhoel all go at it, and the two still standing get a chance in the NHL? That would make an amazing reality show…in Canada.
As for Thiessen, I’m kind of disappointed he won’t be back next year. Given the youth of Northeastern’s team, they were a lock to compete for the top spot in Hockey East again next year. Since Thiessen started every single game for the Huskies last year, no one is quite sure what type of goalies they have coming up behind him. Thiessen definitely was deserving of the Hockey East Player of the Year award, and really kept the Huskies in the mix all season long. Now the Huskies seem like a giant question mark heading into 2009-10.
Shawn Johnson and Nastia Lukin at the 2008 Olympics
Two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times published a pair of articles contrasting the current careers of U.S. gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Lukin. The Times spoke to the “graceful” Lukin about the three Marta Karolyi run training camps she has attended since the Beijing Olympics, and her agent about the offer she turned down from Dancing with the Stars. They then profiled a Dancing with the Stars rehearsal that Johnson, not necessarily renowned for her artistic ability as a gymnast, was participating in, quoted her mother as saying as Johnson never wants to leave the Left Coast, and mentioning that serious gymnastics training doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the moment.
The short, less artistic little kid looking to take advantage of her 15 minutes of Olympic provided fame. The lankier-only-by-comparison, more artistic, older teenager who looks to stay in the sport.
One would think we were back in 1998. Continue reading