Last night the Manchester Monarchs took to pink ice for their fourth annual Pink in the Rink night to benefit breast cancer research and awareness. Although the team has not had success on the ice during this annual event, they have been incredibly successful off the ice in raising money for the cause. For this event, they started by having each player skate out with one or two cancer survivors that they were honoring. It was a very touching display.
Things got off to a chippy start between the Monarchs and the Providence Bruins in the ninth of twelve meetings on the schedule this season for the division rivals. Games between these two have been known to get physical but surprisingly the only fight of game came about halfway through the first. Monarchs captain Andrew Campbell caught Bruins rookie with a check behind the Manchester net. Bruins forward Tyler Randell immediately stepped in to stick up for his teammate. He landed more punches and sent Campbell to the ice first.
The first power play of the game went to Providence when Monarchs rookie defenseman Derek Forbort went to the penalty box for holding the stick. It only took the Bruins 27 seconds to capitalize. Ben Youds passed the puck from the point to Ryan Spooner at the side of one of the face-off circles. Spooner took a shot at the net and Matt Fraser was there to put it past Martin Jones on his glove side.
Jones, who earned a more permanent spot with the Kings when they traded Ben Scrivens, returned to the AHL with the start of the Olympic Break. Although he has been getting playing time with the Kings, he said he did not see anything different about approaching an AHL game. He has spent a lot of time in the league and says he was to bring the same level of urgency as an NHL game. In last night’s game, he had a lot of trouble getting a good luck at the pucks coming at him.
“I think they only had two clean looks at the net and that was in the third period. The rest of it was kind of scrambles in front. It was a tough game,” Jones said of facing the shots from Providence. “There were a lot of scrambly plays and deflections so I just tried to stay in it and compete.”
The teams came out for the second with Providence leading 1-0 and still bringing a lot of energy on both sides. Manchester got their first power play just over three minutes in. Although they were not able to capitalize, their first unit of Tyler Toffoli, who also recently returned from LA, Tanner Pearson, Linden Vey, and Nick Deslauriers produced some good chances. All five of them play forward at even strength, but Deslauriers had been a defenseman prior to this season and they make a dangerous unit.
It was Deslauriers at even strength that got Manchester on the board to tie up the game. The goal came as he went to the net and followed through. He committed to the play and wrapped his stick around the back net to tap in the puck in an impressive move. The goal was the fifteenth of the season for the defenseman-turned-power-forward. In his previous two AHL season, he had only 5 goals in 128 games.
“Every shot, you never know what’s going to happen. You just have to go to the net. The puck bounced out from their D and I have a long reach so I was able to tap it in from behind,” Deslauriers said of his goal.
Following the goal, Deslauriers was assessed a 4 minute major for high sticking. The Monarchs managed to kill off the whole penalty, with Brian O’Neill and Sean Backman even combining for a good short handed attempt. But, unfortunately for the Monarchs, they would go into the second intermission down by a goal again. There was a lot of traffic in front of Jones, as seemed to be happening a lot last night, and Andrew Cherniwchan managed to put it home.
The third period seemed to have started the same way as the second: with a Manchester goal. It seemed that Linden Vey had tied up the game. The puck crossed the line, but the net was kicked off before the puck crossed the goal line. It was ruled no goal. With that, the momentum seemed to shift back towards Providence. Captain Mike Moore showed incredible skill when he lifted the puck and tucked it just inside the crossbar to put the Bruins up 3-1.
Despite both teams playing aggressive, tensions were not really boiling over much. After a whistle Monarchs defenseman Andrew Bodnarchuk and Bruins tough guy Rob Flick started pushing and shoving. Flick was the only one assessed a penalty and Manchester had the man advantage. Lately, the Monarchs had been struggling on the power play. About two minutes after Moore gave the Bruins their 2 goal lead, Vey capitalized on the power play to bring them back within one. The assists went to Toffoli and Deslauriers, proving how talented that first power play unit could be.
Late in the final frame, Manchester pulled Jones for the extra attacker. They frantically tried to put the puck in the back of the Bruins net and keep it from going in their own empty net. They seemed to catch a break at the very end when Moore went off for delay of game and they had a 6-on-4 opportunity. But, they end up falling to Providence 3-2 and are still winless in the Pink in the Rink games.
“It’s hard to come out on the short end when you feel you battled hard enough to come out with a win”, said Monarchs Head Coach Mark Morris. “I just think the way things unfolded, and some of the things that sent us to the box, it’s very irritating. Am I happy about it, no, but I thought our guys played hard enough and well enough to win that game. We didn’t catch a break all game long. We really didn’t, and our guys competed (their) tails off.”
Manchester is right back at it this afternoon as they host the Albany Devils for the first and only time of the season. The two teams met last month in Albany and Manchester fell 5-2. It will be the last game before the teams get a little time off. The league breaks for the All-Star Classic. Although Manchester was originally slated to be represented by Martin Jones and Linden Vey, they will not have any representation now. Jones was replaced earlier when he earned his spot on the Kings roster, before it was clear he would be back for break. Vey bowed out due to a family commitment.
I’ve mentioned time and time again, that matinee starts are always a little more laid back in the clothing department. However, matinees usually face-off at 1 pm, not 3 pm as was the case today for Boston vs. Ottawa.
In terms of being game ready, I debated and debated between pants and a skirt. I even picked a top option that would go with either, but in the end the pants and the desire to be comfortable ultimately won out.
I would also like to point out that I am a HUGE advocate for thrift store shopping, I get a weird thrill from finding awesome pieces that cost virtually nothing… I made an unexpected thrift store shop earlier in the week and found 8 awesome articles of clothing and only left a $12 dent in my wallet. What’s the appeal? It isn’t even the money saved (although that’s a huge bonus), it’s finding eclectic pieces, designer duds, things that still have the tag on them, and getting to pair them with things you have at home. I love the idea of owning a shirt, sweater, blouse, skirt, etc that no one else might own because it’s not the “in” sweater that’s being sold at every store right now. I will point out however, that I can’t get past the idea of buying shoes at a thrift store, because, I just can’t. Walking a mile in someone else’s shoes is a great theory, actually doing it – gross.
Breakdown:
Grey pants, Forever 21, $16.80
Black tank, Forever 21, $1.80 – I’ve mentioned this before, I love these and I own them in multiple colors
Floral wrap cardigan, Thrift Store, $2 – It still had it’s original Urban Outfitters tags on it, what.a.steal!
Black wedge ankle boots, Aldo, clearance, $19.99
Media Tip: Pack headphones in your bag and never take them out, you never know when you might need to throw them on to watch something on press level. While possibly enjoyable – annoying your fellow colleagues with a loud YouTube video is not appreciated, I assure you.
Every two years, the world comes together for the Olympics, and that is a beautiful thing. And even more beautiful – hypothetically – is the Parade of Nations, where every country sends its representatives out in matching outfits to wave and smile and generally act psyched to be at the Olympic Games. You would think, in this grand moment, that countries would want their athletes to look their very best, to show off their country at its finest.
That is not exactly the case.
It’s more obvious in the summer Olympics – in the Winter Olympics most countries go for a variation on a warm coat and pants – but there’s still plenty to judge in these outfits.
1. The Netherlands – There are many ways you can screw up a coat and pants. Take The Netherlands, for example, who decided to go with a hideous orange/gray color combo. Not only is this ridiculous because orange isn’t even technically a national color, but those shades of orange and gray don’t work together. At all. At least the silhouette is nice, which is more than can be said for other countries…
2. Switzerland – …Like Switzerland! Here’s a tip, Switzerland – the knee-length shapeless coat works on absolutely no one.
3. Japan – Dammit, Japan! Didn’t you just hear a thing I said to Switzerland? The shapeless puffy lab coat look is terrible. And why navy pants? Navy isn’t even a national color. It’s like you’re the problems of Switzerland and the Netherlands combined.
4. Germany – Some countries – like Germany – tried to get creative with their prints, with disastrous results. Germany has a history of using colors and prints that have nothing to do with their national colors – but there’s pattern matching that works and pattern matching that doesn’t. Pattern matching that works usually includes subtle patterns that share colors in common. These patterns are neither, and both of them are hideous on their own, too. Let’s put it this way – my dad laughed at this outfit. Like full-out pointed and laughed. If my fashion-challenged father laughs at your country’s outfits, you know it’s bad.
5. Ukraine – Ukraine, at least, had the common decency to do only one ugly print. That doesn’t take away, however, from the fact that the print is still pretty gosh-darn ugly.
6. Tonga – Come to Tonga! Where obviously we have never before worn winter coats in our lives!
7. Sweden – And coats weren’t the only things with weird patterns. Sweden looks… well, the coats are weird, no two ways around it, but they’re nowhere near as bad as the weird, shiny, patterned leggings. Also, at some point we should discuss the women with the country names, because the dress is cute enough and the headpieces are cool, but the weird circles are, well, weird.
8. Peru – Speaking of weird leggings, is that woman of Peru wearing jaguar eye leggings? Oh, no.
9. France – France’s outfits look like they all got dingy in the wash. France’s flag has beautiful, vibrant colors, and the shades they chose are just… bleh. They remind me of the USA’s snowboarding outfits, which isn’t a compliment. I hate those things.
10. Portugal – Portugal’s outfits are so close to fine, except the detailing on the front of their jackets makes them look like watermelon. Once you see it, you just can’t unsee it.
11. USA – And then there’s this group of clowns. Look, I get what Ralph Lauren was trying to go for (sort of). America as it’s represented in these outfits is the land of Grandma’s apple pie and small-town homeyness. But really this looks like a July 4th Ugly Sweater party. It just does.
12. Bermuda – Bermuda, do you even go here?
13. Russia – The Russian men, though you can’t really see them, actually look pretty good. But dear God, Russia, what have you done to your women? Make them wear a skinned yak?
14. Slovakia – I don’t really have any opinions on Slovakia, I just wanted to point out this is probably the first and last time we’ll ever see Zdeno Chara wear something with hearts on it.
15. Mexico – Mexico looks pretty sharp. The tailoring on their coats is nice and the black/white color combo is classic for a reason. Their skiing uniform, however, is a little less classic and a little more… fabulous.
16. Kazakhstan – I like Kazakhstan’s outfits. They’re helped by having a nice palette to work with, but France had a nice palette to work with and look how they screwed it up. The nods to native culture are nice, too.
17. Canada – Of course Canada rocks the winter wear, it’s what they live in from October to April. I love the style of their coat – which, despite my ability to criticize fashion, I don’t know enough about fashion to know what it’s called – but I call it the Paddington Bear style.
18. Spain – I love that Spain stepped out of the mold and did smart blazers instead of puffy winter coats. I could do without the hats, but the scarves are nice. Their pants all look like they could use hemming, though.
19. Andorra– And my gold medal winner for best outfits – Andorra! I love the sweaters, I love the slim-fit pants, I love that they don’t have coats but still look appropriately wintery. Well done, Andorra.
It’s an honor to be an Olympian, we aren’t knocking that, but the opportunity to dazzle on the world stage is there, and fashion wise not many countries chose to take it. Best of luck to everyone as Sochi is open and the competitions are in fun force!
(photo: www.usahockey.com)
The United States opened the Women’s Ice Hockey contest today in Sochi, in their preliminary match-up against Finland at Shayba Arena. With a 3-1 victory, Team USA improves to 6-0-0-0 all-time against Finland in the Olympic Winter Games.
Things looked easy for Team USA from the opening minute of the game. Hilary Knight scored on Finnish superstar Noora Raty just 53 seconds in, on the first shot of the contest. Pressure from Amanda Kessel resulted in a turnover by the Finns, and Knight was poised for the partial breakaway leading to her goal. The United States had two power plays in the first period, but would not score again until the second.
Kelli Stack netted a goal for the Americans 7:42 into the second period. The goal was quickly reviewed to make sure her stick was not too high as Stack batted the puck out of the air and into the net. Her patience waiting for the puck to fall below the crossbar paid off and the goal was upheld. Team USA would let one more Finnish penalty go unpunished before Alex Carpenter scored on USA’s fourth power play of the game to extend the lead to 3-0. The puck had eyes as her tally came from a tough angle.
It looked for a while as though the first shot of the game would result in the game-winning goal, but that was not to be the case as Finland scored on their own power play 15:22 into the final period, ending Jessie Vetter’s shutout. Finland, down by 2 goals, would take a timeout after finally getting on the board. They tried to pull Raty for the extra attacker, but pressure from the United States kept her from skating out until only 52 seconds remained. The score would remain 3-1, the shots 43-15 in favor of the United States.
Noora Raty was outstanding in the loss, bailing out her teammates when they failed to pressure the Americans for much of the game. After the game, Raty herself said that if her country does not win gold, she hopes Team USA will. She and Americans Amanda Kessel, and Megan Bozek were all teammates at the University of Minnesota.
The U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team is off tomorrow (Feb. 9) before resuming action in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games Sunday (Feb. 10) against Switzerland. Puck-drop is scheduled for 5 a.m. ET.
You should be paying attention to the Dallas Stars.
I’m not going to yell at you for not paying attention to them before now. It would be kind of mean, for one thing, and mighty hypocritical, for another. Truthfully, I didn’t know a thing about the Dallas Stars until last summer, when I found out they were rebuilding.
Rebuilding has become a bit of a buzz term these days, thrown around when a team fires one coach and hires another, or changes their “team philosophy.” What you don’t see very often is any actual rebuilding.
But this past summer saw a lot of changes backstage within the Stars organization: a new coach, a new Captain, new uniforms, and practically a whole new team. If you look at the Stars roster right now, 9 players were acquired by the Stars as starters in 2011-2012, and 11 were acquired in 2013.
I was curious. And I was bored. I thought, either the Stars would start to come back, or they’d crash and burn, and either way I’d have something to watch when my first hockey love (the Penguins) weren’t playing.
That was then, and this is now, and the Stars have usurped the Penguins in my hockey heart.
I’m not sure how this happened, either.
New Stars Rising
If any star has been rising slowly but surely, it’s Jamie Benn. He’s been noteworthy for his consistently great play since he was drafted in 2007, but he’s really exploded this year. Benn doesn’t hold anything back. He throws himself at the goal with wild abandon and a blatant disregard for his own personal safety, that I think is bound to earn him a stern talking to by the GM one day. Benn’s ‘all or nothing’ approach to the game is thrilling, if also mildly heart-attack inducing, to watch.
Tyler Seguin’s move to the Stars was indisputably the biggest trade deal that went down over the summer. A lot of hay was made by the Bruins about Seguin just not living up to his potential. The Bruins’ loss has definitely been the Stars’ gain. Since Seguin’s come to Dallas, he’s become an asset for the team, on the ice and in the locker room.
Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn came into the season with something to prove. Both had been dealt a hard dose of rejection over the summer. The Bruins had expressed a lack of confidence in Seguin when they traded him, and Benn had been overlooked by the Canadian Olympic team. “Lets prove them wrong” became what united them and drove them, and it showed in their play. Their energy and aggressive pursuit of the puck set them apart from the rest of the team from the get-go. They also have something you just can’t force or predict—and that’s undeniable chemistry on the ice.
Valeri Nichushkin, the Stars’ rookie winger from Russia, is a real find. He’s not putting up numbers like his linemates Seguin and Benn yet—but ‘yet’ is the keyword there. He’s shown enough promise to earn himself a place on the Russian Olympic team, and has grown as player in a very short amount of time. He’s beginning to develop a real keen eye on the ice, and there’s something to be said for a guy who can not only score but also provide the key assist—able to see the entire field of play and make things happen for proven scorers like Benn and Seguin. With each day that Val comes into his skills, that top line on the Stars becomes increasingly potent.
Cody Eakin is another player to watch—he’s been line hopping this season, but I’d make an argument for keeping him with Roussel and Garbutt, considering that line made impressive moves during Dallas’ lastest road series.
Defensive Improvement
Defensively, the Stars struggled in the beginning of the season. Veteran Defenseman Stephane Robidas broke his tibia in November, and his partner Brenden Dillon’s play really suffered after. Dillon has lately come into his own, though, and proven himself to be an asset separate from Robidas. Partnered with Jordie Benn (brother of Jamie) the two have done a lot to help close the gaps in the Stars defense.
Goalie Kari Lehtohnen has been described as an unassuming kind of guy by his teammates. That descriptor is apt, and pretty much how everyone outside of Texas saw him–a talented guy, but not one worth remembering.This season Lehtonen has unassumed his way right onto the Finnish Olympic team. People have started to take note.
What’s Happening Now
The Stars had a hard battle against the Coyotes on Tuesday, both teams clambering for points that could secure them a spot in the Wild Card race in the West. The Stars came out on top, winning 3-1. The next day, the Stars wrapped up their West Coast trip with a game against the San Jose Sharks. Going into the game against San Jose, I didn’t have what I would call “high hopes” for the Stars. And sure enough, the Sharks defense was a wall, and much of the game—too much of the game—was played in the Stars’ defensive zone.The Stars fell, 2-1, to the Sharks, but gained a point for forcing the game into OT (I’ll call that a moral victory). The Stars took five out of six points on this last road game trip, which is a big improvement over their play on the road earlier in the season.
The Stars play one last game before the Olympic break. Tomorrow, Saturday, they face the Coyotes again on home ice. There is no love lost between these two teams, and a whole lot of fast, eager, young guys who want to earn their team those game points. It’s going to be brutal.
I’ll be watching.
You should too.
(source: nhl.si.com)
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Marian Gaborik has announced that he will not be able to represent Slovakia in Sochi, Russia due to a broken collarbone suffered on December 21 against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Said Gaborik:
“I’m extremely disappointed that I won’t be able to play for Slovakia at the Olympic Games but understand the decision is the right one for my recovery and for the national team. I have been lucky and proud to represent my country at two Olympic Games and other international tournaments and look forward to doing so again in the future.”
Gaborik played for his country in the 2006 and 2010 Olympic Games, as well as the IIHF World Championships (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007), and the World Cup of Hockey (2004). He also played for Slovakia in the 1999 and 2000 IIHF World Junior Championships, the IIHF World U18 Championships (1999 & 2000), and the IIHF European Junior Championships (1998).
Today the Penguins put an end to speculation of what had been plaguing star defenseman Kris Letang by announcing that he had suffered a stroke.
Letang had missed several games with an unspecified illness, and testing found that Letang has a small hole in the wall of his heart – a birth defect that is believed may have been the cause of the stroke. Letang will be on a regimen of blood thinners for six weeks, after which he will be re-evaluated. His condition is not believed to be life or career-threatening. Letang has been cleared to vacation with his family during the Olympic break.
From the official Penguins press release:
“I hope that by making my condition public at this time, I can help other people by encouraging them to seek medical help if they experience some of the symptoms associated with a stroke – regardless of their age or general health,” Letang said. “It obviously was a shock to get the news but I’m optimistic that I can overcome this and get back on the ice.”
“The most important thing right now, of course, is Kris’ health,” Shero said. “We’re not thinking about hockey right now. We want to make sure he gets the best possible care and gets better. After six weeks of treatment, doctors will re-evaluate Kris.”
Letang is a Norris trophy candidate and recently re-signed an eight-year contract with the Penguins during the off-season. He is a strong offensive defenseman, with 10 goals and 18 points in 34 games this season. In 419 career games over seven seasons, Letang has 54 goals and 227 points. He will be missed both on and off the ice by the organization. We here at The Pink Puck would like to join in wishing Kris Letang a speedy and complete recovery.
The biggest question when Steven Stamkos wasn’t cleared to play in the Olympics was who would replace him. Steve Yzerman said the decision would come within forty-eight hours, and this morning it was made. Martin St. Louis! Who better to replace the Lightning star than the team captain.
St. Louis, 38, will be going to his second Olympics, having played for Canada in 2006. It’ll be his first international tournament since the 2009 IIHF World Championship, when he had 15 points in nine games.
“They called me yesterday,” St. Louis said. “Great opportunity for me.”
“It’s great for Marty,” Stamkos said. “If there is anyone in our locker room that deserved it from day one it is Marty. I don’t see this as Marty replacing me. I see this as Marty getting the opportunity he deserves.”
St. Louis understood once the announcement about Stamkos was made that he would be a top candidate to replace him, so the news did not come as a surprise.
“Everybody that knows me knows I’m a pretty emotional guy. There has been a lot of that the last month. I heard from [Stamkos] that he wasn’t going so I prepared myself,” St. Louis said.
St. Louis is tied for 16th in the NHL in points this season with 54. He was considered to be of the top snubs when the Canadian roster was originally announced in early January and his name was not on the list. It left Lightning fans outraged, especially after Marty’s four goal game on January 18th against the San Jose Sharks. It was the second time in four years Hockey Canada and Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman left him off the roster.
“I’m just glad to get the opportunity,” St. Louis said. “I feel like my whole career has been a back-door entrance. This is no different. It’s a big opportunity and I’m glad to be there.”
Unlike the rest of the country, which has been caught in a polar vortex for the past several months, California has been unseasonably warm. Like, drought-inducing warm.
Which is cool for Left Coasters like me who enjoy a good beach day in the middle of January.
Unfortunately, the balmy temps make it tricky to dress for covering a hockey game.
And sometimes resorting to the mentality of “I’ll pack my peacoat and be good to go” doesn’t cut it, especially if you are spending many hours out of the day in and out of the barn.
For these occasions–in this case, the night I covered the Sharks-Stars game–we turn to layers. Lots and lots of adorable layers.
LAYER 1: I start off with my go-to cotton jersey long-sleeved tunic dress. It’s comfy, cute and plays well with layering. Plus, H&M prices them at 10 bucks a pop occasionally throughout the year. I paired this forest green number with a subtle fishnet tight.
*PRO TIP: Fishnets are okay at press level only if they are of the small-weave variety. Cancan -style stockings are a no-no in most job industries, and won’t keep you very warm anyways.
LAYER 2: This ginormous leopard scarf is one of the best gifts I have ever received; it’s so huge that I could wear it as a sarong if I wanted to. I can wrap it extra times depending on how cold it gets during the game. To balance out the outfit on the bottom, I put on this awesome pair of over-the-knee brown boots.
*SECRET STYLING TIP: The best part about wearing super tall boots? You can’t see it in the photo, but I’m actually wearing thick legwarmers underneath to keep my roasty-toasty! They get packed into my purse and I put them on before entering the arena to stay warm all night. I wear my old thigh-high ballet legwarmers and bunch them down into my boots.
LAYER 3… OR 4, BUT WHO’S COUNTING?: Throw on a coat that matches the rest of your ensemble and you’re all set! A doctors’ bag style purse with lots of room is perfect for transporting all your game time goodies: Gloves, press pass, hand sanitizer, bottled water, etc.
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