Merry Christmas!!
I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and enjoys their time spent with family and friends!
My Christmas list consisted of primarily Red Wings items and here are the presents my parents got me that were hockey related:
- A signed replica Niklas Kronwall jersey (white)
- A Got Yzerman? t-shirt (red & white w/ the got milk? font)
- 19 hours of Yzerman career games on DVD
- A framed copy of the front page of the Detroit Free Press from July 4th, 2006 (the day after Yzerman retired)
I also got Season 7 of Seinfeld- you can’t go wrong with the Soup Nazi & Bosco. haha.
Merry Christmas!!
Strike Two
My brother Josh, a senior in high school, just found out yesterday that he tore his ACL in his left knee. Yep, strike two for the Hammond kids.
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend and for those of you who celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a Merry Christmas on Monday! 
Review: In the Crease
I recently purchased In the Crease, a documentary following a youth hockey team (California Wave Bantam AAA) in their journey to Nationals.
Not only does the DVD follow the team for a full month leading up to the US Nationals, but is interspersed with interviews from NHL players like Brendan Shanahan, Mathieu Schneider, Scott Gomez, Joe Thornton, Scott Niedermayer, Jeremy Roenick, Craig Conroy and Derian Hatcher. The players talk about their memories from youth hockey, their Nationals experiences, etc. The DVD bonus features include extended interviews with these players as well as scouts (prep school, major junior, and college scouts).
I’ve never played hockey before so it was really interesting to me to see the kids practicing (both in the rink and at home) and just following a team was a unique experience for me. I also thought it was great to follow a team from California with an African American coach (Mike Lewis) with players from a variety of ethnicities, which shows that the sport isn’t just for Canadian white kids.
The documentary interviewed the players on the team and you got to see the role hockey plays in their life and how important it is to them. For example, hockey was helping Erick cope with his parents’ divorce. The DVD then had a clip from their interview with Mathieu Schneider who said this about hockey helping him while his parents were getting divorced:
Without hockey, there are so many bad things I could’ve gotten into…Any personal problems I’ve had in my life, I get out on the ice and it’s all gone.
The documentary also highlighted the sacrifices the families made to allow their kids to succeed. These sacrifices were both financial and emotional in nature. For example, it once took Troy’s mother three and a half hours to drive to practice.
I also found it interesting to see Derian Hatcher and Brian Rolston comment on the successful youth hockey programs in southeast Michigan and you even get to see the Honeybaked team in the DVD. I did not know that they were that good on the national level, but now I do!
As I mentioned previously, the documentary helps show that hockey isn’t just a sport succeeding in Canada and select US states, the game is developing around the country and geography does not necessarily predict who will or will not win.
Additionally, the DVD features reactions from college scouts and even agency representatives as they watch the games at Nationals. In the Crease even interviewed Ken Martel from the NTDP to learn more about the program in Ann Arbor (I will hopefully be working for the NTDP over the summer on the media guide so it was cool to see that for me at least).
According to Michael Sarner, the director/producer of the documentary, In the Crease was the top selling sports film on Amazon.com last week. Currently, it sits at No. 10
I don’t own many hockey DVDs, but I really did enjoy the documentary as it opened my eyes to the pressures and hard work these young athletes put in to succeed and try to (1) win a National championship and (2) get a chance to continue their playing career in either a major junior league or for a college/university.
Cost: $25
You can buy it now at IntheCreaseMovie.com!
* I plan on posting more reviews over the next couple of weeks as I complete some hockey related books I recently bought! Know of a hockey book or DVD I should check out? Let me know via email or comments! *
Jersey love
So Tapeleg will hopefully appreciate this, I splurged in the midst of studying for organic chemistry and bought myself a new jersey. But not just any jersey. It’s a Peterborough Petes jersey. Specifically, an Yzerman Peterborough Petes jersey. Yzerman played for the Petes (OHL) from 1981-1983. And it’s signed by the man himself. Yep, I spent a pretty penny or two or three on this one but I like it a lot. I’m quite a sucker for Wings memorabilia especially when it’s Steve Yzerman memorabilia.
Yep, it’s a beautiful jersey and it’s all mine!
THN Fan Shootout: Nicklas Lidstrom
The Hockey News has a feature present in each issue- the Fan Shootout. Basically they pick some fans questions and ask these questions to the intended player and then present the answers. This week’s issue features Detroit Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom…
Joseph Reid from Owen Sound, Ont., asks Who is the toughest forward to defend against in the corners?
Jaromir Jagr. He’s strong on his feet, has great balance and a good, long reach.Dewey Longuski from Mason, Mich., asks Has your role in the dressing room changed much since getting the captaincy?
On the ice, not so much. Off the ice, it’s a little more communication with the coaches. You’re the link between the players and coaches.Mike Slessor from Barrie, Ont., asks If you hadn’t become a hockey player, what sort of career would you have gone into?
Well, my education back in Sweden was telecommunications engineer, so I probably would have done that.Brad Craven from Moorefield, Ont., asks What was it like playing for coaching legend Scotty Bowman?
I enjoyed it. He seemed to be a step ahead of the game all the time from the 1970s on, until he retired.Erik Lafleche from St. Albert, Ont., asks I play defense. How can I move a player out from in front of the net without taking a penalty?
That’s tougher now than it used to be. It’s more about positioning than ever. I try to step in front of a guy in order to block the shot, or lift his stick.
I don’t know about you guys, but I never picked Lidstrom as the telecommunications engineer type.
Jes Golbez Gift Giveaway
Jes Golbez at Hockey Rants recently made a post with a list of gifts for certain hockey players, teams, referees, etc. as well as bloggers. Here are the Wings related ones…
Wings, Oilers, and Sabres fans - A year’s supply of tissues.
Dominik Hasek - Crest WhiteStrips
Brendan Shanahan - A map to your own end of the ice. You seem to forget where it is these days
Paul Kukla - A reunion with his ’son’
Matt (On the Wings) - any Madonna CD you like
Christy (Behind the Jersey) - A new tear-free ACL
Wings 5, Blue Jackets 0
So Hasek was so pissed about his performance on the 18th (allowing three goals in the first period and then getting pulled) that he called up Matt Ellis asking if he would mind just shooting on Hasek for thirty minutes. It was Hasek’s day off.
“When I got the phone call in the morning, I could tell he was anxious to come down to the rink and take some shots,” Ellis said. “When I got the phone call, there was no question I was coming down, and it’s things like that that show you why he’s one of the best goalies to ever play the game.
“The work ethic after a long road trip, that’s inspiring for young hockey players.”
The Wings then easily beat the Blue Jackets last night, 5-0. Dan Cleary scored two more goals while Nicklas Lidstrom, Jason Williams, and Kirk Maltby notched the other goals. Two of the five goals came on the power play. The Wings PP is currently 22nd in the NHL at 15.6%.
Cleary continues his impressive offensive play and now has six goals and seven assists in the last ten games. He now leads the team in goals. Not bad for a $650,000 salary.
“I’ve just been getting an unbelievable opportunity, playing with players like (Robert) Lang, (Jason) Williams, and power play … being in the right spot at the right time now,” he said. “I’ve just got to keep my head down and work hard. That’s all I keep telling myself, go to the net and try to shoot the puck as much as you can.”
Abel to Yzerman at KK also has the always entertaining and amusing game recap.
Random sidenote: I finally saw the new Bond movie last night and I must say I approve of the new Bond actor.
Keep fighting in the NHL
My Christmas break just started an hour and a half ago after I completed my organic chemistry exam (and last science class ever)! I also wrote my final English paper and sent it off to Paul at Kukla’s Korner who posted my paper earlier today and you can check it out here. Thanks again to Paul for posting all three of my English papers!
International conspiracy in Wings locker room
This portion of the Q&A with Brett Lebda by the Detroit News made me laugh:
Q. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you’re in the Swedish triangle — your locker is surrounded by Henrik Zetterberg’s and Niklas Kronwall’s.
A. No kidding — and they’re really rude. I know they’re talking about me all the time in Swedish. (Lebda looks over at Kronwall, who laughs with him.)
Q. So, have you learned any Swedish by proximity?
A. No, I haven’t. They’re not teaching me Swedish either. I think they should have to speak English when I’m around — or else.
(Kronwall interjects, pointing out that he and Zetterberg had to learn English. So maybe Lebda should learn Swedish.)
Q. That’s actually an interesting point. Maybe you should secretly learn some Swedish and just shock them.
A. Exactly. I should do that, and one day when they’re talking about me, just break in with some Swedish.
Finals
As you may have noticed, updates have been almost nonexistent for the past few days. I had two papers and a final exam on Friday and my huge organic chemistry exam on Tuesday. I will then be off for two weeks and updates will definitely return to normal then. Sorry guys!