My mother has stressed many points on my road to adulthood, while some were greater than others, there was one point that she always drove to the net; take care of your skin. No matter the length of your day or the extent of your exhaustion, take off your makeup and wash your face. Exfoliate, moisturize and give your skin the TLC it deserves. If you haven’t heard this advice in your life, I’m imparting it to you now.
Throughout my life, I’ve used many products. I’ve doled out money for expensive high end moisturizers, and scraped the bottom of the barrel with some mainstream brands. If you’ve heard of it, I’ve probably tried it. Recently, after a 45 minute excursion in the beauty aisle at Target, I decided to give a new brand a try. Did I pick it because it was marked, non-oily, SPF 15, vitamins, no artificial perfume or dyes, etc, etc? No. I picked it because it was on sale, and you received a free package of makeup removing wipes with purchase, I love a bargain. Luckily, as it turns out, I also love the product. Cue the Simple line.
Simple, Sensitive Skin Experts, Protecting Light Moisturizer: Not only do I have the curse of sensitive skin, but also a large dose of gothic pale skin that burns at the first sight of light. Seriously, I don’t sparkle like the vampires in Twilight, I burn up like an ant under a magnifying glass. I’m a huge believer in daily moisturizer with a low SPF and using it year round is a must. I’ve struggled to find a daily option that goes on and doesn’t leave my face feeling oily or smelling like the bottom of tote bag at the beach. I would be lying if I didn’t mention that the consistency of this was of great concern, it’s on the thicker side and a small amount will be all you need. But despite the thickness of the lotion, it smooths on nicely and absorbs quickly with no oily post moisturizing glow. It does have a faint sunscreen smell, but it’s not overpowering and it fades quickly. The line also offers a facial moisturizer without SPF and it has no scent whatsoever — don’t worry, I sat on the floor in Target and smelled all of the potential suitors. If you’re looking for a light moisturizer to wear on a daily basis over makeup or au natural, this is a stellar option.
Simple, Sensitive Skin Experts, Smoothing Facial Scrub: Until recently, I was unaware that exfoliating on a daily basis was a good thing. Prior to my revelation, I thought that exfoliating was a one to two times a week sort of regime, wrong. Exfoliation helps to remove the dead skin, which in turn brightens your face and leaves it feeling clean, smooth and ultimately, happy. Personally, since starting the daily exfoliation, I’ve noticed a considerable difference in my skin — it looks better and it feels better. A key of note here, is to pick a gentle facial scrub, rumors have circulated that products like St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub is terrible for your skin, as it’s rough and leaves tiny tears in your skin. Obviously, I’m not a professional — but that doesn’t sound like a good thing. The Simple, Smoothing Facial Scrub uses rice granules paired with vitamins E and B5, it’s gentle and for someone with sensitive skin, that’s a huge perk.
The line itself is dermatologist tested, non-comedogenic and hypoallergenic, they also have put money towards researching an alternative for animal testing.
*I’ve used the line for a few weeks at this point and I enjoy it, I’m a believer in testing thing out before deciding to share them with our readers. This review is solely my own, there has been no contact with the company, I liked it, so I shared it, in the event our readers want to try it too!
Do you ever have days where you should care, but you just don’t? Game 2, is that day for me. It’s not that I don’t actually care about my appearance, but 4 combined hours of sleep and a 12:30 puck drop are not, I repeat NOT a woman’s best friend. So, steering clear of red and pointing towards comfort was my mindset. Mint, is by far one of my favorite shades for clothing. It’s bright, happy and can be worn year round, it’s a staple in my wardrobe and if you don’t own an article of clothing in mint, I highly suggest jumping on the bandwagon — you won’t be sorry! Not to mention, for those of us that aren’t heading to the game, it’s Kentucky Derby day, while I can’t be sipping mint juleps, I can certainly represent them in the sense of fashion.
Breakdown:
Mint, floral t-shirt, Forever 21, price unknown (I have owned this shirt for years and I love it every time I wear it!)
Leather pants, TJMaxx, $16.99
Black blazer, Nordstrom Rack, $21.89
Black wedge sneakers, Sears, clearance, $6
Media Tip: You’re probably thinking, SNEAKERS!?!?… but the playoffs carry a heavy media load and press space is limited, on occasion it means you won’t have a seat and you’ll be bouncing between ice level and press level, walking and standing. I will choose footwear comfort over stilettos on these days without a question. Greatest media tip you’ll ever receive, plan your footwear accordingly.
You knew the Boston Bruins would come out hard Saturday given the Game 1 result- a disappointing home loss akin to that of the first round, albeit a difference in style. Although the Bruins smothered Carey Price with over fifty shots in the double overtime classic, P.K Subban sealed the victory with his second of the game, crushing the hearts of the Bruins and their fans.
On Saturday, the result was entirely different.
With confidence on their side given their Game 1 effort, the Bruins continued their offensive outburst. Drawing two early penalties, the team found themselves on an extended two-man advantage with a chance to take a first period lead, but just like yesterday, failed to capitalize.
As we’ve come to learn, though, this Bruins team never quits; and they didn’t in the first. Just minutes after the disappointing power play effort, the Bruins netted that all-important first goal of the game. Andrej Meszaros (who took the place of the struggling Matt Bartkowski) carried the puck through the neutral zone and dumped the puck with purpose. Carl Soderberg found the rubber and dished the perfect pass to Daniel Paille in the slot, who beat Price blocker-side high.
Paille skated on the third line with Soderberg and Loui Eriksson, taking the place of Justin Florek; Jordan Caron joined Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton on the fourth line. The Bruins outshot the Canadiens 11-5 and led 1-0 after twenty minutes of play.
A minute into the middle frame, the Bruins costly mistakes that killed them in Game 1 began to resurface. An inexplicable turnover by Brad Marchand, who tried to make a move rather than dumping the puck deep allowing his teammates to change out, gave the Habs an opportunity to strike. Maintaining possession in Boston’s end, Mike Weaver put the Habs on the board with a blast from the point through a number of bodies. Tuukka Rask never saw it, as the Bruins net-clearing and shot-blocking struggles ensued.
While the score differed, Game 2 had an eerily similar feel to Game one. The Bruins couldn’t capitalize on their best scoring chances and, as frustration boiled over, the penalties followed.
First it was questionable roughing call on Meszaros, who looked to be held by Tomas Plekanec on the play but still went off for two minutes. Unlike the Bruins, the Habs made the most of their four on-three advantage and it was Thomas Vanek who deflected the puck past Rask, giving Montreal a 2-1 lead after two periods of play.
“I think it’s been pretty even on the battles both ways, but there were a couple that we’d probably like back that we let get away, but that’s part of it,” Jarome Iginla said of the Bruins second period. “We’ve got to find that good balance and I think for the most part we have – where we’re going to play hard, we’re going to compete. Today I thought, in the second maybe we got a little bit too charged up, or whatever, but we found a way to focus that there in the third and use some of that energy, use the energy in the building and stay as positive as we could and it felt pretty good to have it go the way it did.”
After the third period started with more of the same- an interference penalty on Dougie Hamilton giving the vaunted Habs power play yet another opportunity- the tide turned in the Bruins favor. Just like Game 1, as soon as the Habs extended their lead to two the sleeping bear came to life. The Bruins channeled their inner frustrations and emotions and brought out the best of their play.
“What you feel on the bench is these guys have been through a lot, and even after they scored and made it 3-1, all I could hear guys saying was, ‘Hey, there’s lots of hockey left, let’s get that next goal here, let’s get going,’ and it was all about encouraging each other to be better,” Bruins Coach Claude Julien noted of his team’s resiliency.
“And that’s what happened, and as a coach, I’ve been around these guys for a long time, and you just let them be and let them get themselves going. And you just do your job as a coach — change the lines, try to put the right people out there, and the rest, they took care of.”
Hamilton struck first with a shot that had eyes. Then Patrice Bergeron with a wrist shot from the half wall. With momentum on their side and the Garden going berserk, the Bruins had another smooth entry and this time it was Torey Krug finding Reilly Smith with cross-crease pass, and Smith burying a wrist shot to conclude the historic comeback.
Down 3-1 with less than ten go in a crucial Game two, the Bruins once again stormed back and this time came out on top.
“If we stole this one, they stole the first one, so it doesn’t really matter how you want to look at those things,” Julien said. “At the end of the day, it’s who wins, and they won the first, we won the second. And right now, I think what’s pretty obvious is that if we focus on what we need to do and try and not let the distractions of things we can’t control get to us, we’re going to be okay.”
And that’s exactly it. If the Bruins can keep the game even-strength and continue to pour pucks on Price, they should have this series. That being said, the truest test- coming in the form of a Montreal two-gamer- comes next. Buckle up.
The second round of playoffs has begun for the Eastern Conference, matching two hard working offensive-minded teams, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers. Just a few days earlier, the Rangers closed a long 7 game series with the Philadelphia Flyers. The Pittsburgh Penguins closed their series against the Columbus Blue Jackets in 6 games, also earlier this week.
The Rangers took the lead early. Benoit Pouliot scored against Marc-Andre Fleury within 5 minutes of the first period, making 1-0. Then, at the end of the first period, the Rangers capitalized again and Brad Richards made it 2-0.
However, Pittsburgh came back in the second period. Penguins Lee Stempniak got a clean back-hand shot against Lundqvist. Later in the period, Evgeni Malkin scored on a deflection. However, the goal was reviewed because it looked like it was hit with a high stick. After review and receiving confirmation from Toronto, the goal was good. Malkin actually never touched the puck; it just bounced in from a high angle. James Neal got credit for the goal.
After an exciting, but scoreless, third period the Rangers and Penguins went into overtime. About 4 minutes into the first overtime period, Rangers Derek Brassard shot and hit the cross bar, thinking he had scored. But the Rangers still managed to keep it deep in the Penguins zone. It ended up back with Brassard again passing it to Benoit Pouliot, who beat Fleury to win the game.
Along with Pouliot, Henrik Lundqvist also played a phenomenal game making 34 total saves out of 36 shots. The Penguins really fired shots at him, whereas the Rangers only had 27 shots on goal.
Game 2 of the best-of-7 series will take place again in Pittsburgh on Sunday, May 4th at 7:30 pm.
Photo credit: Andrew Fielding / Reuters
Oft heralded as an intense rivalry, the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks will meet in the postseason for the first time ever in the history of both franchises. Typically wavering between really good or really bad, both teams are finally good at the same time and the realignment has provided a chance for one team to be crowned winner in the Battle of California. However, this supposed “rivalry” is mostly manufactured in the media and the fanbases. Since they’ve never met in the playoffs, a “hatred” for each hasn’t really formed. Kings’ Coach Darryl Sutter is of the opinion that rivalries are formed in the playoffs.
“They are. It’s a fact. I mean, anything else is not. I went through it enough in the Norris Division 30 years ago, and I went through it in Edmonton and Calgary. Until you play [in the playoffs], there’s not a rivalry. And, quite honest, with the way game is now, a lot of guys are neighbors.”
So the Kings and Ducks aren’t really rivals due to lack of postseason history. But that doesn’t mean that the Kings should take their southern counterparts lightly. The Ducks won the regular season series 4-1, sweeping all of their road games (including the Stadium Series, sigh) and losing only once in the shootout at home. They were also Pacific Division champions for the second year in a row (not that that means anything to Sutter, who believes division titles are just dirty banners).
However, there are some interesting things to note about these two teams. We’re going to delve into the #fancystats here so I’ll take the time to shout out to Jewels from the Crown for their hard work in previewing this series as I’m going to borrow a little bit from them.
As everyone knows, the Kings are an elite possession team, posting a league best 56.7 fenwick for percent at 5v5 close (fenwick for is the total amount of shot attempts excluding blocked shots; 5v5 close is the chosen measurement since the majority of games are played at 5v5 with the score close). The Ducks, on the other hand, are a middling-to-average at best possession team. While the Kings find success in playing keep away and making their opponents chase them for the puck, the Ducks have gotten away with… well… just shooting, really. They have a ridiculous team shooting percentage at 5v5 close, part of which is due to luck.
Anaheim finished first in the league a 10.7 sh% in the regular season. There’s no possible way that it’s all skill because it’s not like they barely edged out their competition. The Colorado Avalanche (also another lucky team as their possession time is pretty atrocious) was second behind Anaheim with a 2% difference. Anaheim has had the fortune of lucky bounces breaking their way while receiving average-to-above-average goaltending (Jonas Hiller and Frederik Andersen are a good tandem but neither are especially elite). Their sh% is mostly driven by their two stars Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf, who have historically sustained above average shooting percentages. However, they’re also getting outrageously high shooting percentages from their bottom 6, with the only forward on the team who played in 60 or more games posting a percentage below average was Daniel Winnik.
On average, of the 600 plus players who dress regularly, forwards will have an individual shooting percent around 10%. There are guys like Martin St. Louis, Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin (to name a few) that are elite shooters and will routinely convert more than 10% of their shots into goals. But the Ducks are not an All Star team full of elite shooters, so their high shooting percentages can be explained by simple, random variance which can run even over the course of a season. In essence, it’s luck and the Ducks have gotten a lot of this season. That’s not to say that they’re not a highly skilled team because that’s not true, either. They’re able to hold their own in the tough western conference but they can’t rely on their luck to continue. For a more in-depth look at this, check out Andrew Lifland‘s post on Jewels from the Crown. He does an excellent job of breaking it all down.
On the flip side, Los Angeles has been buoyed by excellent goaltending while seeing an unsustainably low shooting percentage this year. If both teams regress to the mean at the same time, LA is the better team and will probably come out on top. But random variance can be mean so whoever gets the better bounces will move on to face the winner of Chicago/Minnesota.
Projected Lineups
Anaheim Ducks:
Matt Beleskey – Ryan Getzlaf – Corey Perry
Patrick Maroon – Mathieu Perreault – Teemu Selanne
Andrew Cogliano – Saku Koivu – Jakob Silfverberg
Devante Smith-Pelly – Nick Bonino – Emerson Etem
Cam Fowler – Ben Lovejoy
Hampus Lindholm – Francois Beauchemin
Bryan Allen – Mark Fistric
Jonas Hiller
There was some question surrounding the starting goaltender because Bruce Boudreau likes to play head games and create goalie controversies apparently. Hiller was not on the ice for the morning skate so he’s the projected starter for the series.
LA Kings
Marian Gaborik – Anze Kopitar – Dustin Brown
Tanner Pearson – Jeff Carter – Tyler Toffoli
Dwight King – Jarret Stoll – Justin Williams
Kyle Clifford – Mike Richards – Trevor Lewis
Jake Muzzin – Drew Doughty
Robyn Regehr – Slava Voynov
Alec Martinez – Matt Greene
Jonathan Quick
Unfortunately, defenseman Willie Mitchell suffered an undisclosed, mysterious lower body injury in the Game 6 victory against the Sharks so Matt Greene will draw back into the lineup.
(Stick tap Jon Rosen for the lineup projections)
Players to Watch
Anaheim:
Hiller or Andersen?? Hiller had a good regular season before he was mysteriously ousted by young rookie Freddie Andersen. Who’s starting? What is his mental state like after the Dallas series?
4th line – they’ve been getting a lot of luck but they’re terrible at possession. They barely break even at best so how will that affect the game? How much will they factor into Anaheim’s success?
LA:
Matt Greene – he was effective against San Jose when he replaced the injured Mitchell, but he wasn’t very good in the regular season and became a healthy scratch for several games. His foot speed and penchant for taking penalties is of concern, especially since LA’s PK has struggled.
Mike Richards – he was great after being dropped to the 4th line and was able to take advantage of soft minutes against the Sharks’ weak 4th line. He needs to take advantage of the golden opportunities presented to him, though, and he will be huge if he can put the biscuit in the basket and silence critics about his scoring woes.
Jeff Carter – is he injured or is he healthy? He potted two goals and had four assists, but seemed invisible in the last three games against San Jose. Of course, he was centering two rookies so perhaps he decided to focus more on his defense. No matter, the team will desperately need his speed and his elite goal scoring abilities to be able to beat Anaheim.
Schedule:
Game 1, Los Angeles at Anaheim: Saturday, May 3, 5:00 p.m.
Game 2, Los Angeles at Anaheim: Monday, May 5, 7:00 p.m.
Game 3, Anaheim at Los Angeles: Thursday, May 8, 7:00 p.m.
Game 4, Anaheim at Los Angeles: Saturday, May 10, TBD
Game 5, Los Angeles at Anaheim: Monday, May 12, TBD*
Game 6, Anaheim at Los Angeles: Wednesday, May 14, TBD*
Game 7, Los Angeles at Anaheim: Friday, May 16, TBD*
*if necessary. All times PT.
Games 1, 2 and 3 will be broadcast on NBCSN, TSN and RDS. The broadcast schedule for Game 4 and any additional games will be announced at a later date.
(photo: bluejackets.nhl.com)
So, Columbus went out in the first round.
That probably doesn’t surprise anyone who watched even a little of Eastern Conference hockey this season; Columbus, despite putting up their best numbers in franchise history and showcasing a surprising new star in forward Ryan Johansen, had to battle hard to reach even the first round. Of course, the Metropolitan Division (and Eastern Conference as a whole) being what it is, that’s not saying as much as it may seem; every team that wasn’t the Bruins and the Penguins had to battle hard to reach the first round, because all season the standings were more up and down than the media’s opinion of Alexander Ovechkin’s plus/minus.
So simply saying that Pittsburgh took the series—and that this win didn’t raise any eyebrows—fails to capture exactly how good the matchup between Pittsburgh and Columbus actually turned out to be. Columbus failed to solve Pittsburgh in any of their regular season games, but managed to haul round 1 of the playoffs all the way to six games, complete with last breath tie-making goals and overtime half-miracles. Regardless of spectators’ feelings about either the Columbus or Pittsburgh franchises, this was a series that was, simply put, fun to watch.
It had everything: hat tricks, comebacks, flame-outs, goalie magic, and good, old-fashioned greasy goals.
Columbus approached the playoffs the way that they approached the regular season, which was to put their heads down and do whatever work needed to get done in order to win. They’re a self-described blue-collar team that doesn’t depend on big-name starpower; frankly, I think Johansen’s emergence took the Blue Jackets as much by surprise as it did everyone else. Last year, Johansen was a healthy scratch in the AHL playoffs; this year, he had 33 goals and 30 assists for 63 points in the regular season, and at least one point in every game except one in the playoffs.
This series had a lot of firsts, for the Blue Jackets. First playoff win, first playoff win at home, first time that Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs seemed close enough to touch. It takes 16 wins to get your name etched on the Stanley Cup, and the Blue Jackets managed two. That’s not enough, but it’s also not nothing. For a team who two seasons ago were essentially crossing their fingers and hoping for the best, that’s a big step forward.
It’s a big step forward, and it’s the first step forward. General Manager Jarmo Kekalainen has been open about the fact that the Blue Jackets plan to extend the contracts of coach Todd Richards and his staff. Looking ahead, the strategy seems to be to build on this season’s success, not tear down and start over. Certainly making sure that big, young players like Johansen, Ryan Murray, and Boone Jenner stay with the franchise will be part of that strategy.
But the most exciting thing about Columbus moving forward isn’t its biggest goal scorers or its most consistent defensemen. It’s the change in culture, from its fanbase to its players. Last year, home games against the Penguins often drew more Pittsburgh fans than Columbus fans; this year, the “fifth line” delivered a minutes-long, arena-shaking standing ovation for their players in the final game of the series.
As for the players, according to NHL.com, Richards has stated, “the cultural change from being happy to qualify for the playoffs to being unhappy with anything less than 16 playoff wins began with the acquisition of [Jack] Johnson… Johnson was the first to stand up and declare that nothing mattered but winning the Stanley Cup.”
As anyone who has ever watched a single minute of hockey will tell you, attitude matters. Emotions matter. When it comes to the playoffs, the best team might not always win–the team who wants it most will.
Columbus got a taste of something great this season, and you can bet they’re going to come back hungry.
(Photo: Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports)
It looked all too familiar. After leading the game through two periods, the Blackhawks’ lead was cut in half. Then the score was tied in the third.
And then it happened. Patrick Kane took a pass from Patrick Sharp at center ice, put on his invisible cape at the left blue line and flew unscathed past three defensemen to shoot backhand from the right and score top-shelf past Ilya Bryzgalov.
“He’s so calm with the puck in tight spaces and he makes shots that not a whole lot of people can make,” Sharp said. “That backhand is a good example of it. The thing I like about Kaner the best is the big stages, he always seems to put one in.”
Sharp joked to press that he knew Kane wouldn’t be passing back to him.
“It was a good play by Sharp to throw it over to my side,” Kane said. “I had some time and space so I tried to cut through the middle. It was one of those plays where I was about to drop it to (Sharp) but I saw both defensemen kind of go to him so I just tried to get in on the backhand and made a good shot and it went in. It’s a good feeling.”
Lip-readers claim Kane declared a celebratory “Showtime!” after that goal at 8:22 in the third.
Showtime, it was.
From there, the Blackhawks went to score two more.
At 16:47 into the third, Kane struck again–his fifth of the playoffs. He fired a wrister into an almost-empty net after Ben Smith‘s attempted deflection from Sharp proved the perfect pass.
Then, Bryan Bickell (assists: Jonathan Toews, Marian Hossa) tallied an empty-netter with 2:41 left in the game as the Wild pulled Bryzgalov hoping to rally back with a man advantage. The 5-2 lead with less than two minutes essentially sealed victory for the Blackhawks.
Despite the score, the Blackhawks were outplayed by the Wild. They were outshot 32-22. Minnesota blocked 19 shots to Chicago’s 10. Chicago was outhit 37-24. However, the Blackhawks scored on two out of four Power Play opportunities, a wonderful shock for Chicago fans.
“We didn’t capitalize when we needed to and they scored on their power plays,” Wild forward Zach Parise told media after the loss. “I think that was the difference: the special teams.”
The Hawks struck first, at 14:48 into the first period, when Bryan Bickell deflected a shot from Brent Seabrook during a Power Play.
At 11:21 into the second, Marian Hossa netted a wristshot (Brandon Saad, Nick Leddy) on another Power Play.
The real surprise in the second was that the Wild didn’t take a bigger lead, after dominating shots 17-3 in the second period.
But, the Wild bit back in an eventful third period. Just 2:19 in, they first got on the scoreboard after a mess around the net followed by a Clayton Stoner slapshot trickled behind goalie Corey Crawford to be cleared by Johnny Oduya, hit Crawford again, and ricochet off Oduya’s skate past the goal line.
This one stung, as Stoner, whose hit took Andrew Shaw out of the game and has him listed day-to-day with a lower body (apparent right-knee) injury, was credited with the goal.
Kyle Brodziak capitalized on the Wild’s momentum, knotting the game at 2-2 about five minutes later, with a tip-in assisted by Erik Haula and Dany Heatley.
Kane didn’t let it happen, though, with his “showtime” pair of goals.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be with some great players in this organization, and I think you can go up and down the roster that have been here for a long time and say everyone has done some big things in big games and scored big goals,” Kane told media. “I think it’s part of everyone’s game that’s been around here with the winning attitude.
“It’s always nice to chip in too.”
This was Bryzgalov’s first start since being pulled from the Wild’s 4-2 loss in their Round 1, Game 2 loss to the Avalanche. Goalie Darcy Kuemper then took over for the series until being injured in the last period of Game 7, when Bryzgalov stepped back in to save one and help the Wild advance.
In this loss, Bryzgalov made 17 saves. Crawford made 30.
“Corey, to me, led the charge as far as why we won the game, and special teams were a big part of it,” Coach Joel Quenneville said. “We had a couple nice plays to seal it, but not much in-between we can talk about that was getting us excited.”
The Hawks are hoping for a stronger allover performance next time.
“We weren’t as sharp as we’d like to be,” Hossa said. “But as the game went on we improved. But I still think we can play better than we did. Huge win for us.”
The Blackhawks face the Wild for Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals Sunday at the United Center with a 2 p.m. CT start. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
(AP Photo/ The Denver Post, John Leyba)
Recently, two things happened concerning Colorado Avalanche goaltender Semyon Varlamov. The first is that he was nominated for a Vezina Trophy as a cap to his great season. This season he racked up 41 wins (the most by any NHL goaltender) and had a save percentage of .927 (the third best of any NHL goaltender). His excellent performance is most likely what made the Colorado Avalanche a playoff team at all.
The second thing that happened was that, during a playoff game against the Minnesota Wild, Varlamov was taunted by Wild fans with pictures from his arrest earlier this year after he was accused of beating his girlfriend. (Warning: description of the crime at the link is both violent and graphic.)
These two things, at the outset, are not linked. After all, Varlamov was cleared of all charges (the defense declared themselves unable to make a case proving his crime beyond all reasonable doubt), and the incident seemed largely swept under the rug, only to be brought up by opposing fans hoping to get a rise out of Varlamov. Varlamov went on to have, as previously mentioned, an excellent and possibly award-winning season.
But should that be the end of the story? Should Varlamov even be in the running for the Vezina after this incident? Should his potential crimes be, by and large, ignored?
Both the NHL and hockey media seem to largely agree that yes, Varlamov should be completely exonerated and any past indiscretions forgiven. And though it’s widely thought that he will come in second to Rask in the Vezina runnings, the NHL believes he was worthy of a nomination.
And this is an issue. Because here is the impolitic crux of the issue that everyone seems to skirt around; there is a very good chance that Varlamov was, as he was accused of being, abusive to his girlfriend.
The facts are, domestic abuse is disturbingly common. One in four women will face it in their lifetimes, according to a survey by the Department of Justice. (This is roughly the same rate as in Russia, if not a little higher, for those who would argue that the people in question are Russian, not American.) There is also evidence to suggest it happened – bruising was documented on the victim both by the police at the time and by a friend of the victim’s on other occasions. And on multiple occasions the police had been called to Varlamov’s house for domestic disturbances. It also seems unlikely the victim would falsely report abuse given that doing so caused her to both receive death threats that made her afraid to return to Russia as well as accusations that she was accusing Varlamov to weaken Russia’s Olympic roster. If she wanted attention or money, there are dozens of easier, less risky ways to go about doing so. Is this evidence enough to say that, beyond a reasonable doubt, Varlamov did it? No, the Colorado justice system was, in that sense, right to dismiss the case. But is it likely that Varlamov was in some way abusive to his girlfriend? Yes. It’s likely.
There are two ways to be guilty: in the court of law and the court of public opinion. Varlamov is not guilty in the court of law, and he probably never will be. And since the court of law requires guilt to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt, that’s probably the correct outcome.
The problem with Varlamov getting a Vezina nod is not that he shouldn’t be allowed to play. The NHL cannot and should not ban someone for a crime they, legally speaking, did not commit. It’s not even that Varlamov didn’t play well enough to warrant a nod in other circumstances. It’s that awards have a way of elevating the person who receives them, making them a hero and exonerating them of any sins they may have committed. The problem is also what this nomination represents. It’s saying that the NHL sides with talent over off-ice behavior. It’s saying that charges serious enough to lead to arrest are less important than save percentage, and that a woman’s word is not to be trusted or believed, not when good hockey player’s career is on the line. After all, player’s reputations have been tarnished for far less than what Varlamov was alleged to have done, even for things that were, strictly speaking, legal. Varlamov’s arrest should have been a moment to speak out and iterate a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence, as the NHL has a zero-tolerance policy for so many other things, and instead the NHL remained silent, and then went one step further to choose to honor Varlamov in spite of his possible transgressions.
For a league whose fans are almost half women (and statistically speaking, many of whom are probably abuse survivors themselves), this is an extremely dangerous stance to take. The NHL grapples with a range of feminist issues – do they really need to add lauding a possible abuser to their list? And putting the question of feminism aside, doesn’t human decency dictate you shouldn’t cheer for someone who may have assaulted their partner? Shouldn’t the accusation of a crime as serious as abuse be enough to make the NHL wary of promoting Varlamov or considering him for a major award?
The NHL has shown themselves to be willing to take positions on matters of social justice before (their support of You Can Play, for example) in the name of being inclusive to all types of fans. Why is it, then, in the case of an issue as widespread and destructive as domestic abuse, have they remained silent, if not supportive, of a possible abuser?
Unless Varlamov has another domestic abuse incident, he likely has a bright future ahead of him, and this incident will largely be forgotten. But before we leave this incident to become just another footnote under the “personal life” suggestion of a Wikipedia page, it’s worth considering – when does off-ice behavior become enough of a problem that on-ice talent becomes a moot point? And, if Varlamov transgresses again (which, if he truly is guilty, it’s likely he will), will we look back at this season and wish we had come down on him harder?
Forward Patrice Bergeron of the Boston Bruins, forward Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks, and defenseman Duncan Keith of the Chicago Blackhawks have been announced as the finalists for the 2013-2014 NHL Foundation Player Award. The Foundation Player Award goes to “an NHL player who applies the core values of hockey – commitment, perseverance and teamwork- to enrich the lives of the people in the community,” the National Hockey League states.
Patrice Bergeron has been a part of the development of “Patrice’s Pals” program, bringing children from local hospitals to the TD Garden to be a part of the magic of a Bruins home game. These children are met with a full game experience, they get to sit in the “Patrice’s Pals” luxury suite, meet Bergeron, and take pictures with him after the game. His charitable donation did not start with the development of his own program, but it began as soon as he joined the Bruins in 2004-2005. He is often found leading the “Bruin’s Holiday Toy Drive,” attending teammate “Shawn Thorton’s annual Cuts for a Cause” event, or regularly visiting children in the hospital. Last season Bergeron won the 2013 King Clancy Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities both on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to the community.”
Brent Burns has continued to make an impact in the community by being active in the “Sharks Foundation” and “Defending the Blueline,” an organization that was founded in 2009. While “Defending the Blue Line” was founded when Burns was a part of the Minnesota Wild, it is an organization which he continues to be active in. “Defending the Blueline” is a “non-profit organization that supports military families by ensuring the children of military members are afforded every opportunity to participate in the game of hockey.” Not only is he heavily active in the program but he has donated a suite to military families for every single Sharks home game this season. He hosted “Burnzies Buzz Cut for Charity” which raised over $24,000, and he raised over $60,000 with the “Skate for the Troops” and “Jr. Sharks Fundraiser.” He also donates the proceeds he has made from his signature Gongshow Gear line. The Sharks Foundation offers resources and financial support to help youth in the community. He has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over several events and has been an active participant in the “Hockey Fights Cancer” night where he and other hockey players meet young cancer patients after a home game.
Duncan Keith’s charity the “Keith Relief” assists families and individuals who are going through a medical crisis and are bearing financial and emotional burdens. Keith’s mission is to help lift the burden that these families have to carry. He is helped by his wife who is also incredibly active in the charity and in the community. “Keith Relief” has raised more than $250,000 through benefit concerts, and all the proceeds have gone to the “Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana,” and similar organizations.
All of these players make incredible moves on the ice that put fans in awe of their talents and abilities, but what is even more incredible is the hard work these athletes put in off the ice to put a smile on the communities’ face.
A long and tiring physical 7-game series between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers has finally come to a close. New York won game 7, after a hard 5-2 loss from game 6. Rangers Daniel Carcillo and Benoit Pouliot had the two goals, along with the lone goal from Flyers Jason Akeson. An exciting series, these two rival teams continue to make history.
New York has advanced to the 2nd round of playoffs, along with other eastern conference teams, the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers will play in Pittsburgh tonight to face the Penguins.
The Penguins have been a top team in the NHL, usually finishing at the top of the league. They have a great team with big name players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, and James Neal. Henrik Lundqvist is going to face a lot of shots tonight, as Pittsburgh plays a lot of offense. However, the goaltending is less impressive. The Rangers could easily create opportunities and capitalize on them once getting used their style of play.
Another New York vs. Pennsylvania series is on its way, starting tonight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania at 7 pm at the Consol Energy Arena.
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