Puck Up

Checking the stats yesterday morning (I’ve been unable to bear looking of late), I discovered my Rogues in 8^th place rather than floating, as usual, at the bottom of the hockey pool. Egads, thinks I, Ryan Kesler is my saviour! Kes at his best is a warrior in every sense of the word; I was surprised that no one picked him during the office draft in October. Forgetting that he’s had more surgery and accumulated more stitches than Frankenstein’s monster over the past few years, I scooped him for my team as soon as I realized I’d bulked up on too many Flyers. The wait for him to get momentum was excruciating, but now that he’s got it, he’s my most dependable player.

So I thought.

I consulted the league scoring stats to prove his prowess. Turns out he’s not my most dependable player. That honour falls to Black Hawks’ captain, Jonathan Toews, who sits in 17^th spot on the list. Kes comes in 45^th, with two of my wildest players positioned in between: Taylor Hall (33^rd) and Mike Richards (43^rd) – the kid who plays like a maniac and the maniac who plays like a kid. Hall has been injured once already and still has more points than Claude Giroux.

*sigh*

It’s been painful to watch Philadelphia so far this season. A rematch of the 2010/11 Stanley Cup final against Chicago last week was a romp for the Hawks. Final score 7-2. The insult here was that Philly scored first! I’m not sure what got the Hawks going, but they burst into the lead with 5 goals on 15 shots while Ray Emery flailed in search of his defensemen. Where were they? In the penalty box, mostly. When Luke Schenn and Jay Rosehill got busted for roughing and gave Chicago a two minute 5 on 3, I remembered that they used to play for Toronto. I think they still do.

I don’t remember what number goal was scored while they cooled their heels. It got to be a blur. The Black Hawks deserve their first place spot in the league; they’re fun to watch if you dislike their opposition. When they play Vancouver, I confess I’m a little torn. The Canucks will never be my team, but I like a few of their players. Kesler, for sure. Kevin Bieksa and Jason Garrison can play my blue line any time they want. In fact, Garrison is on my pool team. And where is he in the league standings? 91^st, with three fewer points than He Who Was Supposed To Be My Big Gun, Claude Giroux.

If only.