Everybody into the Pool!



"I get Voracek if you get Giroux"



Monday, September 16, 2013:

San Jose 3/Vancouver 2 - snicker

Philadelphia 3/Toronto 2 (S/O) – sigh

Washington 4/Philadelphia 3 (S/O) – what the???

The NHL games may only be exhibition for the next two weeks, but I’ll take ’em. Sort of. Ter and I watched the Canucks host (and lose to) the Sharks on Monday because we live in BC and are held hostage by the network assumption that all BC residents are Vancouver fans. I go with that because I like specific Canucks, just not the team as a whole.

Speaking of wholes (we’ll get to “holes”, as in the digging of same, during the regular season), Philly has bought enough talent to send two teams into separate rings and still cancel themselves out by winning one game and losing the other in a pair of shootouts. Here we go. Shootouts are fun, but they’re also a cheat. If you can’t win in regulation, then you should get nothing. If the game is tied after 60 minutes, split two points between the teams and move on. Something in me fears that shootouts teach the players that they have 65 minutes to get to the lottery and win on a lucky shot. It’s like handing out participant ribbons in the peewee league – makes the boys feel like they contributed even when they lose. That’s fine for six year olds on an allowance, but professional millionaires should be mature enough to suck it up ... like the fans do!

I miss old time hockey.

I know, I know. Time enough for whining after October 3. The office poolies have begun making noise about the season starting and I received an email on Monday from pickuphockey.com to advise that the online pool manager is now available. Nice of them to notify me, but I didn’t win the pool last year, grumble grumble. The guy who did will be managing this year’s, so while I await word on the office draft, I must wrest the Hockey Pool Guide from the bears and pick my 2013/14 dream team.

Maybe this year I’ll score Claude Giroux before a rackinfrackin Maple Leaf fan can nab him ...