[Shrek] Time for a vacation

It took until May 31st, but I'm finally finished with hockey stuff for this season. Don't get me wrong, Worcester's extended play-off run was a great thing, but it's nice that I can finally take some time not involving hockey. The plan is, at least for now, to do nothing hockey related until Labor Day (excluding Booster Club stuff and a Sharks sidewalk sale later in June). This will be the first summer I've taken off from hockey since before the IceCats left town in 2005.

You'd think there being no team here in the summer of 2005 would have meant not doing anything hockey related, but in actuality it was like I had a second 40 hour a week job trying to get a team to move to Worcester.

I'm looking forward to reading the several stacks of paperbacks I have collected over the past few months, and I have to make a run to That's Entertainment soon to pick up some stuff they've been holding aside for me for, well, quite a while. I've also got a couple projects I'm thinking of starting, but perhaps thinking about excuses not to do them will be easier.

Unfortunately, this summer's movies look like a lot of garbage. Fiona and I have already seen Star Trek (it was great, and we highly recommend it), and Fiona will want to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince so we'll no doubt catch that. We're thinking about catching State of Play at the West Boylston Cinema (our favorite second run movie place), but our schedules don't really mesh for when it's playing, so that may not happen. The rest of the summer movie releases look like crap.

But I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy...

[Shrek] Why I Love Hockey

People ask why I love hockey, and sometimes it's hard to answer that question without sounding like a raving lunatic. But I will do my best here...

People generally see hockey as grown men beating the crap out of each other, and every once in awhile trying to score a goal to win a game. While fighting is a part of the sport, it almost always isn't an expression of violence, but an expression of their passion for the sport and the intensity of the competition.

Hockey is the fastest and most violent of the major sports, but it can also be the most beautiful to watch.



But, yes...as I have mentioned above passions do occasionally spill over. And those passions never run higher than when representing your country. So I now present to you the coolest hockey story I have read in a long while. It's a story about the US Sledge Hockey team at the Hockey Canada Cup.

There is a video after the text.

Canadian victory over U.S. includes line brawl

VANCOUVER - They may be missing legs to amputation or birth defects. Some are paraplegics or have other lower-body afflictions that have rendered their legs useless.

But they never said they were choirboys. And their fists still work - as a crowd of 1,200 learned Wednesday night.

An emotion-charged Canada-U.S. sledge hockey game at UBC Arena featured a line brawl with 1.7 seconds remaining after Canadian goaltender Paul Rosen was rammed by American Taylor Chace after he froze the puck.

"I just thought he was going to peel off a little and I would just kill the clock," said the feisty, 48-year-old Rosen after Canada's 2-1 win in round- robin play of the Hockey Canada Cup.

"Once I looked up and realized how close he was," added Rosen with a wry smile, "(well) I love physical hockey."

Captain Jean Labonte immediately came to Rosen's defence and pretty soon all the players on the ice were in a big scrum, some clearly throwing punches with their gloves still on.

"Very nice guy. Dear friend of mine," Rosen, tongue firmly planted in his cheek, said of Chace. "Going out for Christmas dinner."

Two Canadians - forwards Billy Bridges and Greg Westlake - were landing punches, but were only assessed roughing and misconduct penalties, while Chace got a double minor and a misconduct. American Andy Yohe was inexplicably not penalized, although he did come in from behind on Bridges at one point with his fists flailing.

Under IIHF rules, players assessed fighting majors are suspended for the next game and one Team Canada official figured referee Derek Berkebile of the U. S. was showing a bit of leniency in not handing out any majors.

After the final second ticked off the clock - and Canadian defenceman Ray Grassi tried to get at an American as the buzzer went - Berkebile went to both teams separately and talked to them for about a minute before the teams, somewhat reluctantly it appeared, went through the traditional post-game handshake.

Bridges, who scored both Canadian goals in the first period, said Chace "two-handed" Rosen and "we've just got to protect our goalie."

"It was a good scrum," added Bridges, who said he didn't think the melee would sully the sport's image.

"We're fighting day and night to proclaim ourselves as a good sport. Obviously that doesn't define our sport, but it's a part of it. We play a physical game and we're very competitive and that's what it's all about."

Canada will play Japan in the final round-robin game Thursday. The Japanese are also 2-0 after beating Germany 4-1 on Wednesday

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After watching that, how can you not be a fan?