JUST BECAUSE

So I really have nothing to talk about in relation to the current Sabres, so what I am going to do is provide you with some good articles and videos, related to guys I love and love to hate.

But, if you don’t have a ton of time to actually sit around and be completely unproductive all day, like I have the luxury of doing this morning, if you have to pick and choose what you watch, I suggest Blackhawks TV for your viewing pleasure. It’s pretty much the best thing going these days.

Okay, are you ready? You sure?

Alright.

We’ll start with Michael Ryan. The Schenedtady Gazette had a nice article about his surprise of getting an AHL All-Star nod. (Yes, this is for you, MJ, but I’m not so sure you’ll appreciate it once you’ve reached the fourth paragraph… Unless that’s you?)

This next one is a commentary from this morning’s TBN, by Jerry Sullivan. Now, more often than not, I disagree with Sully, but I’ll give him credit where it’s due, and it’s definitely due today. John Brownschidle, son of NHL-er Jack, is a senior at Buffalo’s Canisius High School. What’s so special about him? He’s a cancer survivor.

I know it’s not Christmastime anymore, but the Rochester Americans in this trainwreck is just fantastic. There’s a blooper reel on the site, as well, which is always good.

Patrick Sharp: Sharp shooter? Or Sharp dressed man?

No way. Even Jonathan Toews knows that listening to him be mic’ed up is brutal.

No, actual Jon, listening to you and your teammates sing a song about the Blackhawks is brutal.

(Can you tell that I really enjoy Blackhawks TV??)

I adore Patrick Sharp and Adam Burish. Their cheeky shenanigans are fabulous. Ordering the boys breakfast? Soaking hotel rooms? Stealing bags? I just love guys who shamelessly act like they’re twelve. What’s worse is the team is encouraging it. No, really, I do love some good pranks.

The Carolina Hurricanes were told to make a dinosaur noise. Um… What?

Up close and personal with Steve Bernier? Okay, where do I sign up? Parts 1 and 2.

Oh, one more Blackhawks video. This one was on Sports Soup last night: Kris Versteeg filling in for Ludacris on Fergie’s “Glamourous.” Kris? Please keep your day job. Please.

And while we’re at it? Sean Avery? Ummm, plays with dolls? Somehow, I’m not surprised. Please, Sean, if you know what’s good for everyone, you won’t come back to hockey, and you’ll just go work at a doll store. (This video is edited a bit in some spots, as I’m sure you’ll notice, but it’s funny, nonetheless.)

AW, SHUCKS BRIAN CAMPBELL

I’m going to be completely honest with you, friends. I love Brian Campbell. No lie. I’ve told you that before. And it’s not just because he’s a redhead, but I’m not going to go into the depths of my attachment to him, so just know it’s there. Oh, and it’s been there for a very, very long time.

What I am willing to divulge to you, though, is my behavior last year on February 26, 2008. (And I can almost guarantee that I will act in basically the same manner if another of my favorites gets sent packing on March 4th.) I woke up that morning just like any other morning and packed my bag for school, triple checking the battery level on my MacBook. I had TSN’s TradeCenter set to my homepage on Safari, ensuring that I wouldn’t miss a thing.

I drove the 15 minutes to UB’s north campus, and was sitting in Chemistry (one of the few times I actually went before I just stopped going because I had already failed), not paying too much attention to Professor (“Winston”) Churchill, only hitting refresh continuously on my browser. Oh, and all the while, IM-ing Kim, discussing the trades and how I wasn’t too sure if I’d be able to deal if Brian left.

At 11:27 am, my heart dropped and shattered on the lecture hall floor. Literally, this is what I said to Kim: “HE’S GONE. KIMMY, HE’S GONE.”

From then on, I’m not entirely too sure what I did. I know I almost felt like crying, and thankfully I was in one of the last rows of the biggest hall on campus, and it was dark, because Winston likes to use Powerpoint.

But then I discovered Steve Bernier, and I was willing to accept him with open arms, especially with his debut in blue and gold.

Really, though? I miss them both terribly.

The one story I will always remember about Brian Campbell is highly entertaining. Well, at least it was to the 15-year-old me, before I heard about his galavanting ways.

It was late March or early April 2003, and the Dairy Queen in Kenmore had just reopened for the season. My friend and I wanted to go get some ice cream, so we walked the, oh I don’t know, maybe seven blocks down Elmwood to get some.

The topic on everyone’s mind was the SARS pandemic. But it was hitting home for Sabres fans, with roommates Rhett Warrener and Brian Campbell under house arrest/quarantine, because Campbell’s sister-in-law was showing symptoms after coming into contact with SARS patients at the Toronto hospital she worked at. They were shacked up in Warrener’s Kenmore home, not all that far from my friend’s house.

Anyways, while we were standing in line to get our ice cream, who should get in the line opposite ours? Brian Campbell and Rhett Warrener. I’m pretty sure Campbell got a twist in a dish with chocolate sprinkles.

Basically, they could have killed me. Except, neither one of them actually contracted SARS, so I guess that’s alright.

(ETA: In retrospect, I guess I didn’t really do the story justice. I just think it’s funny that, when they might have had SARS, Brian and Rhett are sneaking out of the house, disregarding regulations from the World Health Organization, to go to Dairy Queen and get their ice cream fix. Hmm.)

Even so, Brian, I’ll never boo you. Well, at least not baring unforeseen occurrences. I’m impressed at how you and your Blackhawks have done this season, and I’ll always cheer for you, as long as you’re not playing the Sabres. Hey, I drove my family nuts on New Years Day because all I wanted was for it to be 1 o’clock so that I could watch you in the Winter Classic (even though it was better when you were wearing blue and gold).

Now if we could get Steve Bernier back, I’d be a happy girl.

*****

There is a positively awesome article about Derek Roy in the TBN today, surprisingly written by Bucky Gleason. I knew there was a reason I loved Derek. I mean, for his hockey skills, not his ridiculous off-ice behavior.

*****

About tonight’s game? Well, I’m not going to be watching. I know, I know, that’s outrageous since it’s my one legit change to really watch Brian Campbell and not want him to win this season. But Kim and I are going to see Rent tonight at Shea’s. Totally worth it. So excited.

But I am taping the game, and I’ve already told all of my hockey-obsessed friends and my family not to breathe a word of a score or anything related to this game to me until I finish watching it. Yeah. We’ll see if that actually happens. Not counting on it.

Big Bear is Happy, And it’s Fate (For Serious)

(I have to put this here before I even start writing:  Blogger won’t let me upload pictures for some reason without messing them up, so I’m going to link you to the pictures, but you ABSOLUTELY MUST look at them.  It is detrimental to your health and the comprehension of my post.  Thanks!)

I have two actual hockey-related things to mention:

Steve Bernier is apparently very happy in Vancouver.  I’m happy he’s in Vancouver because then I get to see him next Friday.  But anyways, an article from THN brought this to my attention.  He’s playing on a line with the Sedin twins, which could be great, or could be terrible.  We’ll see how it plays out.  

“My time in Buffalo was short but I’m happy with what I did.”

Obviously multitudes of Buffalonians are too, Steve, because we’re still in love with you.  You had us at I’m-going-to-punch-you-in-the-face-for-hitting-Whatshisname-and-then-score-two-goals the first day we met.  I haven’t looked back.  And then, on locker clean-out day, when you said you were looking for a place, I almost suggested that you buy a house in small, quiet, close-to-the-city Kenmore, just so I could say I live in the same town as you.  And when I got my Sabres text message saying you were traded, I screamed, and I cried, which probably wasn’t a good thing, since I happened to be driving down Dodge Road in Getzville, which is 40 mph, meaning I was driving 50 mph.  Definitely could’ve ended up even worse than it did.  And to top it all off, you and Derek were becoming such good, borderline fashion-faux-pas friends.

He’s spent too much time with Derek already.

Derek finds it difficult to contain his emotions.  He misses his Big Bear.

And while we’re on the subject of Derek Roy, I find it necessary to point out–YET AGAIN–that we are meant to be.  Trips to Cabo, extreme sarcasm, flashy clothes, funny face pictures, and desire to live by water aside, thanks to PA Sportsticker,  I now know that we have even more in common!  His favorite cartoon character is the Roadrunner, my favorite cartoon character is Wile E. Coyote!  SAME CARTOON!  He thinks Jessica Alba is attractive, I once said I’d go gay for her!  SAME THING.  He goes to his aunt and uncle’s house in Ottawa for dinner at Christmas, I go to my aunt and uncle’s house in Cheektowaga for dinner at Christmas.  CLOSE ENOUGH.  He has two brothers who play hockey, I have two cousins who play hockey.  Again, CLOSE ENOUGH.  THIS = FATE.  It’s indisputable.

Back to legit hockey news:

Roberto Luongo will wear a C this year, but not on his jersey; on his helmet.

Oh, wait; back to Derek:  Here’s the clip from last week’s edition of the Derek Roy Report, or whatever they call it these days.