Behind the Blog: Rambling Hockey Fangirl

For the sixth edition of Behind the Blog, we’re going to learn more about Melissa Tee, the girl behind Rambling Hockey Fangirl. Not only is she a funny, interesting read, but she really knows her hockey whether it’s the Avs or Leafs. Aside from Rambling Hockey Fangirl, she also writes for Most Valuable Network (MVN) and Hockey Cagematch. So thank you to Melissa for participating in this week’s feature and I hope you all enjoy!

Q.1 - When did you create Rambling Hockey Fangirl and what made you want to do so?

Well, RHF opened on August 23, 2002, but it actually had its beginnings in mid-May that summer. I had (and still have) another blog at the time, but it was mostly about anime/manga and my daily life. Then I got into hockey BIG TIME and started posting these mega-long hockey posts there all the time. Eventually I realized that my non-hockey-loving friends/readers were probably being bored out their minds by all of my hockey ramblings, and so Rambling Hockey Fangirl was born.

Q.2 - You recently joined the Most Valuable Network to cover the Colorado Avalanche. What made you want to write in a second hockey blog?

Well, Dan Benton left a comment on RHF one day asking, strangely enough, if I’d be interested in covering the Penguins for MVN. I was pretty flattered that someone was asking me to write a column, so I checked out MVN and it seemed like a pretty good site. The Penguins weren’t really my team, but luckily I noticed that they didn’t have the Avs covered yet and replied back asking Dan if he’d be interested in having me cover them instead. I was also interested in writing for MVN because it would “force” me to write in a more analytical, thoughtful style than the rambling/stream-of-consciousness style I’d gotten used to with RHF.

Q.3 - Ok, so you live in Canada and cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, but you are also a big Avs fan. What do you do when they play each other? And what made you become a fan for the Avs? The Leafs?

Well, they only play each other once a season, so it’s not something I have to worry about too much, but when they play each other, I cheer for the Avs and hope that Kaberle isn’t on the ice when they score! =P I consider myself an Avalanche fan first.

I started watching NHL hockey during the conference finals of 2002 because I was surprised and intrigued by the fact that the Leafs were actually in the playoffs; if I thought about them at all, I simply assumed that the Leafs—like most other Toronto professional sports teams—weren’t any good. So I meant to watch a Leafs-Hurricanes game, but somehow the scheduling didn’t work out for the first couple of games, and I decided I might as well watch an Avs-Wings game.

Even though at first I said “after the Leafs, I’m cheering for the Avs,” I actually fell in love with the grace, skill and speed of the Avs right away. The Wings were also good, but I was biased in favour of the Avs because I had watched the Olympics and there were more Olympians on the Avs than the Wings. Then too one of my best friends was already an Avs fan, so that also influenced me.

The Leafs, well, they were the local team. My summer/part-time job is in Toronto, and I live in a suburb outside of Toronto, so following the Leafs gave me a lot to talk about with people. Also, they seemed like the underdogs against the Hurricanes whom I also liked—remember, I hadn’t paid any attention to the NHL before that series—so I really admired their tenacity.

Q.4 - You’ve also created fanlistings for some players and teams. What made you create those and what’s your favourite one?

Well, I’d joined a lot of fanlistings and I thought that they were a fun idea, but it wasn’t until my friend Lisa (from http://www.obliviousmind.net/) started offering to host hockey-related sites that I was actually willing to make one of my own. I didn’t want to make one on a free site that would have lots of annoying pop-ups or banners. The Ducks were well into their playoff run at that time and I saw that there wasn’t a Giguere FL yet, so I rushed to apply before someone beat me to it.

My favourite one is (Tomas) Kaberle’s since he’s my second favourite player, after Sakic. Plus I always thought I was a bit weird for liking Kaberle so much, so it thrills me to see that so many others also admire him. LOL.

Q.5 - Aside from missing hockey in general, what aspect of the game did you miss most during the lockout?

The social aspects. I’m a pretty introspective, anti-social person apart from my passions (hockey—and anime, which doesn’t have such a wide appeal), so I really missed having people over for HNIC (Hockey Night in Canada), and interacting with my fellow “blogging hockey chicks.” Also I’m a terrible conversationalist, so without hockey or hockey pools to talk about, I didn’t really know what to converse with people about during the lockout.

Q.6 - Where do you see the Avs and/or the NHL in 10 years? How about the Maple Leafs?

Well, I think the Avs will be just as good as they ever were. I have no doubt that they’ll quickly adjust to the “new NHL” and win another Cup or two. They’ve got a good development program, so I don’t see any reasons why they shouldn’t be able to continue to ice solid teams year after year.

The Leafs, well, I also think they’ll be the same old team. Although they’ve actually managed to draft and keep some good young players in recent years, I don’t think they’re ever really going to make the transition from perennial playoff participant to an actual Cup contender. So long as the Leafs continue to make money (and their very faithful fanbase will ensure that they do), I don’t think the team management will ever have any incentive to make significant changes.

Q.7 - What is your favourite hockey moment ever? Why?

Favourite hockey moment? I don’t know if I have one per se, but the World Cup Final in 2004 was pretty amazing. My friend Steph and I eBayed tickets for the game, and the energy in the ACC was just awesome. It’s really quite impossible to describe the feeling of standing in an arena full of people singing “We Are The Champions” and waving the Canadian flag. The semi-final game against the Czech Republic was awesome too: not only did I get to watch my first OT game, but I also got to see a lot of Kaberle! =P

Q.8 - Who is your favourite hockey player? Why?

Joe Sakic. He’s got skill, determination, and most of all, class. Lots of other players can be described that way, I suppose, but “No Ordinary Joe” truly earned my favour with his performance during the Olympics—my first major hockey exposure, remember!

Q.9 - I know you’re a big fan of hockey memorabilia whether it’s a photo, autograph, jersey, etc. What’s your favourite memorabilia item?

This is really hard. The Avs jersey I got signed by Aebischer and Liles when I went to Denver in February 2004 is definitely something I cherish.

There’re also my international jerseys: one Forsberg MoDo, and both of the Kaberle Kladno (home and away) jerseys.

And I swear I’m not a puck bunny, but I also really love this black-and-white 8×10 close-up shot of a smiling Kaberle that I paid a ridiculous amount to get printed from a Toronto Star feature on him.

Q.10 - What do you think of the NHL’s “My NHL” ad campaign?

Ugh. I HATE the first two commercials. It’s so cheesy. And what’s with the woman? Were they trying to get an Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider look-alike or something? The second one is less annoying, but I still find it rather silly. I’ll reserve judgment on the entire campaign until after I’ve seen all the commercials, however.

Q.11 - What team and/or player do you think will have a breakout year this season?

I think Svatos is going to have an amazing season. (I can’t believe I dropped him in my hockey pool for Legwand!!! ARGH!! Too impatient!) Liles was good last year too, but I think this year he’s going to really come into his own. And I hope that Tellqvist will finally prove himself an NHL-calibre goaltender; he was amazing in the Leafs’ first win of the season against Philadelphia. My friend Matthias played with Brad Boyes this past summer and in the past in triple-A hockey (or something along those lines), so it’d be nice if he had a good season with the Bruins this year. (He used to be a Leafs’ prospect too.) I think Gerber could also do pretty well. Watching the TSN broadcasts of some of the Swedish Elite League games last year, I remember hearing that Gerber was doing really well over there, so he might end up being a sleeper. There are really just SO many good young players that I think could really shine in the new NHL.

Q.12 - What do you think of Sidney Crosby, both as a player and an ambassador for the NHL?

I like him. He’s a good kid and I think he’s got both the maturity and enthusiasm (not to mention the personality and boyish appeal) to acquit himself well as an ambassador for the NHL. As for his playing ability, he seems to be doing well enough so far; I just hope all the expectations that he’s going to be the next “great one” don’t bog him down.

Q.13 - What advice would you give to fellow hockey bloggers, especially the newcomers?

Get to know your fellow hockey bloggers—they’re a great group of people!

Develop your own style and express your honest opinions, but try to keep a balanced perspective on things and maintain a sense of humour. Admit it when your team sucks but continue to support them anyway.

Above all, be passionate! Hockey is the best sport in the world! ^_^

Q.14 - If you had to predict who’d be playing in the Stanley Cup finals this season, what teams would they be?

Hmm…I’m no good at making predictions until after both the Avs and Leafs have been knocked out of the playoffs (I said Devils-Ducks two years ago after the first round, and Lightning-Flames after the second round last time—although that wasn’t particularly inspired), so I’ll just say that my dream is—as it is every season—that the Avs could face the Leafs. Too bad I’m 99.8% sure that isn’t going to happen.

Q.15 - Is there a hockey blog or site that you look up to for inspiration?

Well, I really admire a lot of blogs, for their comprehensiveness, humour, depth of insight, etc. etc.—like “Vancouver Canucks Op Ed,” “On the Wings,” “Sharkspage,” “Predator’s Den,” Jes Golbez’s “Hockey Rants,” Debbie’s “Starstruck” on MVN, and of course I’ve complimented you before on your “Behind the Jersey”—but in terms of inspiration, I’d say there isn’t really any one.

Any additional comments?

A little shameless self-promotion: I’m running a small Avalanche fan contest with PRIZES from my MVN site (details available at http://avalanche.mostvaluablenetwork.com/?page_id=53). There’s lots of time left (the contest closes on Feb 12, 2006), but I’m a bit sad that no one has entered yet!

Also, I recently joined yet another hockey writing/blogging site called Hockey Cagematch. It’s a fun little site that pits fan writers of Northwest Division teams against each other whenever their teams play. Unfortunately I haven’t quite learned how to write from a completely biased fan perspective yet, but I’m working on it! =P

I’m also the “owner” of a “Hockey Blogging Chicks” Yahoo hockey pool. It’s very small this year, so I think next year I might open it up to hockey bloggers in general. I usually post info about the pool on RHF, so if anyone’s interested for next year, keep an eye on RHF and let me know!

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Posted in: Behind the Blog | | November 2005

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