Hope in hockey ministry

Saturday, August 7, 2010

bittersweet signing

We all have issues with people especially when it comes to any kind of guy/girl relationship (romantic or not). I recently had issues with one of my boys (so have a few of my friends) and because of that I was scared to start the season. But I was able to go to the come and get it hockey camp the last week of July with the boy I had issues with. It was kind of like a preview of how the season may go. We pretty much avoided each other and then I tried to make small talk with no luck. It didn't mater later when I found out that I was going to job corps. So here's the story about the boy's signing
http://gwinnettgladiators.com/news/article.asp?art=1424

More news thrashers style

Happy happy joy joy

Ok so I love goalies, mainly because I see how hard these guys work and I want to be a goalie but there is a current goalie who stole my heart last season. His name? Ondrej Pavelec. This 22 year old baby boy has been the object of my affection since I first laid eyes on him at traing camp in 2009. so sweet when I told him my ancestors came over when Czechoslovakia was one country he was so happy! SO I was completely stoked when he was resigned! Read the Whole artical here:

http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=534835

Mannino, Ladd, and Eagger news and the rest of the todd white sory

Yay for new people even though we have lost a few people ot's always good to get fresh meat! So we signed Peter manino, Ben Eager and Andrew ladd. I also mentioned briefly about losing todd white so please click on the below links to find out all the details!!
http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535114 (eager)http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535165# (mannino)
http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535155 (ladd)
http://thrashers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=535320 (white)

My future realized

After I left Tennessee Temple university in 2007 I was looking at all my options, which didn't look good. The economy soon tanked and I was left still living at home with no job and very few options. So finally I got the ball rolling with Job corps which is government ran program for people from 16-24 who need their GED (which I don't need) or hands on training for a career (which I do need) and the best part is that it's all free AND you get paid!! SO I did all of my paper work and I thought that I would be a shoe in because of me being out of a job for so long and being an adult. There was one problem, I never heard back from them and I kept having to call and check on my application and paper work. The poor advisor was probably sick of hearing from me but it paid off. Recently I heard from the center I would be going to down in Brunswick Ga and they accepted me into their medical program. Obviously being a thorn in some one's side pays off. The one bad thing is that we're not completely sure how long I'll be gone. So I may be gone for all of hockey season which would kinda be awful! I know it's good for me to get training and all but I don't wanna be gone for all of hockey season! So the plan is for me to go in do the 4 week orientation and adjustment period and then work as hard as humanly possible (times 10) so I get back in a few months so maybe I can see some hockey! so hopefully I can work something out so I can see hockey. I also hope I can find someone to run the ministry and the blog while I'm gone thankfully I found out 3 weeks before I had to leave. I actually leave the 31st of August! So excited!! I'll keep y'all updated!

Friday, August 6, 2010

My love/hate relationship with Sidney Crosby

If you've known me for a while you know that I love hockey, you also know that because of my heritage I feel some kind of loyality towards players with my heritage (like Boris Valabik) and it is for that reason I started to really hate Sidney Crosby. You see Sidney is one of those guys who hits everyone but a lot of the time gets upset when other people hit him well one day he hit the wrong person, in the wrong body part and in the wrong situation. Boris was in a fight with a Penguin and when he leanes over Sidney throws a punch hitting Boris below the belt from behind. I felt so bad for Boris, as big as Boris is he could have squished Sidney like a bug! Sidney is only 5 foot 11 and 200 pounds where as Boris is 6 foot 7 and 250 pounds. Then there's the whole thing about him not liking ovie's rough style of play to which ovie says "that's how I play!....what is he going to do? Cry?" God I love ovie! So there's the main reason I don't like Sidney but I also don't like him because he just seems like he has this huge

ego. I do have to say that I watched a video of him on youtube (which I will post later) and saw how goofy he was and how sweet he was with kids and that egotistical, jerkish picture started to change. So there he was the 22 year old stanely cup AND gold medal winning superstar just being him and I was the 23 year old woman who couldn't make up her mind about him! Sidney is talented and nice but I just have no clue if I completely like him just yet. Sidney does have this amazingly young, fresh personality that is so over due. There are people in the world of sports

who have an idea of how athletes should act and it sometimes stale! Yeah I'm all for them being nice and keeping in mind kids are watching them but that doesn't mean they can't act youthful and like they are having fun isn't that what sports are all about? I also love the fact that Sidney is determind. I saw a quote on quote daddy by Sidney that said "I think to be great, you have to prove that you're the best year after year and show that by winning. I think that's something you have to earn. You have to prove that. I don't really think about it. I think that's something that's too far ahead for me." He knows he shoul

d have goals but wants to enjoy the present and man does he have a lot to enjoy, winning both the gold medal in 2010 and the stanley cup the year before! There are so many people who hat him because of the whole "crybaby attitude" he has when he gets hit or something doesn't go his way. But of course a lot of Canadians and penguin fans love him. I am one of the token people who is not in one of those categories who happen to (somtimes) love him. I completely forgot the girl reason I like him, he's flippin' hot! I know that this a blog for my ministry but I can't sit here and totally act I haven't noticed that he's very good looking even though I can do without the facial hair he sported while playing for the stanley cup. ANyway there you have it! that's my view on sid the kid!

Retro Blog: Mark Johnson

Good Ole Mark Johnson, he played center for the 1980 Olympic hockey team and in a strange twist of fate he coached the 2010 women's hockey Olympic team. Mark "Magic" Johnson was born on September 22, 1957 in Minneapolis Minnesota but was raised in Madison Wisconsin. Mark played for the University of Wisconsin for three years. While he was there his dad, Bob Johnson, was the coach. In 1977 (his first year at the university) the team won the NCAA national championship and Mark won rookie of the year. He was also the schools 2ND all time scorer and a 2 time all American. In 1976 he played 11 training games with the US national team for the Olympics. In all he played in at least 8 world Championships, 3 Canada cups and 2 Olympics (including 1980). In the Miracle on ice game of 1980 Johnson scored 2 of the 4 goals, 1 of the goals caused the soviet

coach to pull the goalie from the game. One thing I wondered is if Johnson kept the puck? You see coach told the boys that if you scored on the Soviet goalie you need to keep the puck because it doesn't happen that often, if at all. After the Olympics Mark went on to play in the NHL for 5 teams including the New Jersey Devils and the Pittsburgh penguins. Since then Mark has become coach Johnson! He coaches at the university he used to play for but he coaches the women's team there. Before being the head coach for the women he was assistant coach for the men for about 6 years. In 2006 he was named the head coach for the American women's hockey team and in 2010 he lead the team to a silver medal loosing of course to Canada! In the 1981 made for T.V. movie he was played by Michael Cummings then in the 2004 movie Miracle he was played by Eric Peter-Kaiser. Eric and Mark were so much a like that Mark's wife told them they were freaking her out because they were so much alike. I think that is a HUGE compliment! SO Coach Johnson, I thank you for inspiring the country in 1980, and then coaching our girls in 2010. Best of luck to you in the future.

Thank God for Coaches

Have I already said how much I adore Coach Pyle? If I haven't already then I will take this moment to say that I absolutely love Coach. He has been so lovely to me and so welcoming. He has been supportive of my ministry even allowing me to pray over the boys. I can honestly say that if coach has a bad quality or trait I have not found it. I kinda joke around and call him papa Pyle but looking at it now he is kinda like a dad or an uncle because he is just so up beat finding at least one good thing in every situation and he is just so encouraging. Recently I got accepted into the Job Corps medical program in coastal Ga and the day I found out I emailed coach to tell him the ministry will go on but it may just be someone else running it and then I explained why. I was so sure that he'd say something like "Well don't worry about it, we'll be fine" but he didn't he told me good luck, that they wished me luck and to keep in touch. I honestly felt like he understood while I wanted to be there and have things the way they were last season I just had to do this for me. I thank God for sending coach Pyle to us and to me. I also wish him so much success this season. And coach, let's win the Kelly Cup this year!!

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

good bye to a Russian and a "great white"

Vyacheslav Kozlov, better known as Slava, has left the team. I wasn't shocked or broken hearted over this one. Slava had been bad mouthing coach anderson to anyone who would listen and he didn't end the season doing too well. So I'm hopeful to see if we will have any Russians next year, and if so how many and will they stay? We've had bad luck with Russians but hopefully this year will be better for us both in wins and with people staying. I wanted so much for there to be a heavy Russian influence for baby Alex (burmistrov) but with Slava having issues with coach bashing what would he teach Alex? You teach and lead by example. You can only speak so lound but your actions speak louder! If only he would have seen that you can't play bad and bad mouth a coach and expect to stay at a origization even if the coach does leave. I was wondering if Slava would have changed his mind about wanting to leave after coach left but now we all know he can't change his mind. Even though I lost respect for him after the coach bashing I still wish him luck. Also Leaving is Todd White who is being traded for 2 Rangers. Although I didn't know much about Todd or had much interaction with him, it's still sad to say goodbye. SO I wish both guys luck!!

Monday, August 2, 2010

Prospect:Akim Aliu

Akim is one of those guys that going into prospect camp I only heard the name and maybe have seen pictures. So here is what I learned about Akim. This 6 foot 3 219 pound youngster was born on April 24, 1989 in Okene Nigeria but then moved to Keiv Ukraine and then from there moved to canada. Akim still speaks fluent Russian which may serve him very well seeing as how the thrashers always has atleast 2 Russians on the team. Last season Akim played for both the Taledo Walleyes and the rockford ice hogs. He has played for 6 different teams in the past 6 season

s. In the 2004- 2005 season he played for the Milton Icehawks where he scored 0 goals and 2 assists. In the 2005-2006 season he split his time between the Windsor spit fires and the Sudbury wolves. With the spitfires he scored 3 goals and 4 assist where as he scored 7 goals and 6 assist with the Wolves and went on to score 1 assist in post season play. The 2005-2006 season was not drama free for him. Akim refused to take part in a hazing of rookies, this didn't sit well with Akim's teammate steve downie. so Steve crossed checked Akim hard and knocked 3 of Akim's teeth. Afterwards Steve was supsended for a few games and made to go to counseling. In the next season (2006-2007) he stayed with the wolves scoring 20 gaols 22 assists in regular season and 1 goal and 5 assists in post season. The 2007-2008 season was another split season for him as he played for both the london Knights and the rockford ice hogs. He scored 0 goals and 0 assists for th ice hogs and 28 goals and 33 assists for the Knights in regular season, 2 goals 1 assist in post season. 2008-2009 was another split season while he played for the london Knights, Sudbury wolves and the rockford ice hogs. With the knights he scored he scored 8 goals 10 assists, the wolves he scored 10 goals 16 assists in the regualr season and 2 goals 1 assist in the post season and with the ice hogs he scored 2 goals in regualr season and 1 goal in post season. This past season he scored 11 goals and 6 assists for the ice hogs and for the walleyes he scored 5 goals and 9 assists in regular season and 1 goal and 1 assist in post season. Akim was part of the group we got in the Marty reasoner, Joey Crabb and Jeremy Morrin trade. I truely hope he makes it because we lost a lot of good guys to get him here! So good luck and see ya this season in blueland Akim!!