Abel to Yzerman
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Live from the Verizon Center
by IwoCPO on 11/28/07 at 07:16 PM ET
Comments (19)
Mike Ilitch won’t let me in the Joe. As a paying customer? Sure. As a blogger? Not a chance.
Ted Leonsis? Now that’s a different story. Yep. Live blogging from the home of the Caps who are down already to future Wing Olli Jokinen and the Panthers. More to come. Wings news at intermission.
Read from bottom to top.
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Updated 2146: Round 33. Vokoun just stopped the fat dude from section 225 to win it for Florida. Sorry Caps fans, Caps bloggers....same thing. Thanks Ted.
Updated 2145: Boyd-by God-Gordon just scored in the 28th round. All tied up....AGAIN. Stick save Vokoun. Glove save Kolzig. I hear the birds singing. I think it’s Spring. Save Kolzig.
Updated 2142: Okaaaayyyyy....we’re in like the 13th round of the shootout and I’m getting sweepy. Save Kolzig. Save Vokoun. More kiss cam. Two dudes from Rockville. No not really. Save Vokoun. I’m going to watch the last two episodes of season 3 of The Office when I get home. Save Kolzig.
Udpated 2141: Number 19 in red just came through in the clutch. Number 19 in red....
Updated 2140: Kozlov just extended my first ever real live in person first person live blog of a shootout. Hot damn.
Updated 2138: Jokinen just scored. Great move. Kenny? Kenny?
Updated 2137: Shootout’s about to start and I take back the last take back about the VC. They’re playing “Thunderstruck.” Do they even have a cd player at JLA?
Udpated 2133: 12 seconds left and I take back part of what I said about the Verizon Center. They’re playing the timeless classic, “The Final Countdown.” I’m looking around to see if Rick Mahorn and John Salley are going to take the ice. Shootout!
Updated 2129: Man. Ovechkin almost scored from his knees. Like a Dive fan.
Updated 2124: Dammit. Panther beat writers just said there’s no way Jokinen’s getting dealt. Headed to OT in DC!
Updated 2115: That’s what I’m talking about. Verizon center’s entertainment genius just showed a clip from Rocky II, followed by one from Hoosiers...two movies in the Iwo Top Five. This is an organization that does things right. I’m serious. It’s a good experience for the fans. Kind of weird to see a team that actually makes the effort to entertain their paying customers, or at least pretend that they keep the fans in mind. I’m sure John Hahn is reading this, probably in between commercials of his DVR’d Dancing with the Stars finale. I’m also sure he’s laughing because he knows the Wing stance is exactly opposite of the Caps’ and always will be.
Updated 2111: Whoa. Just realized that this (it’s tied 1-1 with 7:00 left in the third) could be my first shootout experience live. Caps on the PP. Some dude wearing 92 is doing some circle things at center ice. Pretty neat. Dished it off to Ovechkin. Smart.
Updated 2106: Not a bad game. I guess I should say that since I’m here covering it, covering hockey, at a hockey game. Both goalies look great. Still really befuddled (confused...sorry Bubba) that Ovechkin is left open as often as he is. Viktor Kozlov is playing well. He should have been ours. Still could be. Jokinen just skated by the Cap bench talking trash. Kenny? Kenny? Please? For Christmas? Jokinen?
Updated 2056: Just got interviewed by Elliotte Friedman of HNIC. Here’s a brief transcript.
Friedman: So, what do you do?
Iwo: I blog. I’m a blogger. A hockey blogger.
Friedman: What’s your blog?
Iwo: Kukla’s Korner. I started it. I own it. It’s mostly a rumour site. I provide a service. Rumours to the masses.
Friedman: You’re that guy?
Iwo: I’m that guy. But don’t tell anyone.
Updated 2018: Short, but pleasingly violent fight between Washington’s Matt Bradley and Florida’s Garth Murray. Reminded me of a post Matt Saler put up today at On The Wings referencing a garbage piece in today’s Hockey News about our boy Andres sticking up for the oompa loompa last night. Ryan Dixon claims he understood why Lilja went after Phaneuf, but quibbles with the tactic.
The proper course of action when a teammate gets smacked with a hard, but legal, hit should go something like this; pat him on the back, tell him his still-attached head has to be up at all times and, of course, get the number of the delivery truck and some time when he’s not suspecting it, two months down the road, crunch him with a clean check of your own.
Matt’s reaction is good.
Dixon’s all wound up because Phaneuf is touted as a star in the League, whereas is Lilja a no-name player who had the gall to challenge him and take him off the ice, away from prospective fans, for a whole five minutes. Mr. Dixon, it’s part of the game and Lilja earned points with his own fanbase for the fight. It’s not all about Phaneuf. It’s too bad for the Flames that it happened in the last 7 minutes, but, again, Phaneuf didn’t have to fight.
Updated 2015: A word about the Verizon center. What an arena. Absolutely great seats even at the highest levels. Literally every...whoa, kiss cam on the jumbo screen and it looks like Bay City women have invaded DC. Disturbing.
Updated 2008: Ovechkin on the PP again and I’m sad. Florida’s paying little attention to him, and neither are his teammates. Left alone in the slot. Nothing. Behind the net. Nothing. Vokoun’s not even worried.
Updated 2004: It’s a frigging blogger’s convention up here. CapChick from A View from the Cheap Seats is here. JP from Japer’s Rink. Eric McErlain of Off Wing. The DCSportsChick, now writing for the best masthead in blogdom--On Frozen Blog. Apparently they’re all regulars here, which means they didn’t get lost on 395, then on 7th Street, then in the parking garage, then walking up to press row. Found a lounge with cheese on the way though, which was nice.
Updated 1955: Some Wing news? Sure. Glad to. I see Ozzie’s starting again tomorrow night. Hmmm. I wonder why. I guess it’s because…
...Chris Osgood’s your starter. Found this from Uncle Mike to be...interesting.
MacLeod’s Red Wing Corner
“While Ozzie’s hot, we’d be crazy not to play him,” said coach Mike Babcock. “We thought we were going to play Ozzie more this year. It just happened that when Ozzie got playing good, we’re going to ride the hot hand. There’s no question in our minds what Dom can do. This is kind of like a Roger Clemens contract. He’s starting in the second half.”
Second half, eh? We’ll see.
Updated 1941: Hockey Night in Canada crew is running around press row tonite, doing a story on bloggers. If they dare talk to me, I may turn it into an on-the-spot critique of Bob Dylan’s career. Just for Gramps.
Updated 1940: My most recent straw poll showed me that very few Bubba fans read A2Y, or know how to read A2Y. But those of you who do...you’ll appreciate the fact that Tomas Vokoun looks great.
Updated 1936: Hockey in the nation’s capitol (capital?...sooner or later, maybe after three years here I’ll get it) isn’t the biggest draw on a Wednesday night, but the same can obviously be said for Detroit. Small crowd, the type we’ve come to appreciate in “hockeytown”, but energetic. Not as energetic as the Cap fans who assaulted me waiting for the metro after Game 3 in ‘98. I might have let my mouth run away from me a bit after Fedorov’s game winner. Not sure I remember too well. Ovechkin on the PP plays a little like Homer but, amazingly, with far less attention.
Updated 1925: Decided my best bet tonite is to watch Ovechkin every shift, since I’ve obviously never seen him play live. First impressions...I think I’m a better skater and probably have a better shot. I’ll let you know.
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Tags: Liveblogging,
Comments
Sometimes, John, the things I hope for kinda show up in print. I can’t control it, not even close. It’s all part of the unique experience only offered here at A2Y.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 11/28/07 at 08:32 PM ET
Nice to know that there’s somewhere that John Hahn’s clutches don’t reach…
Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/28/07 at 08:48 PM ET
Well dang, had I known you were going to be there, I wouldn’t have skipped the game.
Your interview with HNiC kills me.
Enjoy the press box.
Cheers
Posted by Gustafsson from Washington, DC on 11/28/07 at 09:13 PM ET
Uh oh. I thought dad was in bed already.
Posted by IwoCPO from Washington, DC on 11/28/07 at 09:21 PM ET
Well, I guess SOMEONE got his wish and will get to see a shootout live.
Posted by DC Sports Chick on 11/28/07 at 09:34 PM ET
While you are there, can you look in section 125, row 2, seat 3. I smashed about 5 of those Godzilla inflatable toys fans had with them back in the Cup series of 98. I am sure I stuck them under the seat there!
Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 11/28/07 at 09:34 PM ET
A great post IWO, have you ever done stand-up?
Posted by HockeyTownTodd from upset when blogs don’t live up to my expectations on 11/29/07 at 12:47 AM ET
Jokinen won’t fit in a stocking, so I know who will be looking for a huge box under the tree with air holes punched in it.
Kudos on messing with HNIC. That was hilarious!
BTW, Tom Benjamin is discussing the recent article about attendance declines in Detroit, Dallas, and Colorado. Always good discussion there - and an opportunity to stick up for our Europeans, since the “you can’t market Europeans to blue-collar Americans who can’t find Sweden or Russia on a map” argument has reared its ugly head again. It’s like a bloody hydra with about eight billion heads!
(Insomnia stinks.)
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/29/07 at 02:34 AM ET
A Masterpiece!
Well done, IWO!
Posted by w2j2 on 11/29/07 at 07:56 AM ET
Jokinen would make the Wings unstoppable.
Posted by Nathan on 11/29/07 at 08:52 AM ET
I think the schedule and the economy have a lot to do with it and I am not buying the Euro argument (and have never bought it). Colorado is pretty fairly balanced between North Americans and Europeans and attendance is way off. I believe it has to do with cost of tickets, the ridiculous schedule,competition for the sporting dollar. Terry Frei points to some other reasons here.
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_7585602
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 11/29/07 at 10:44 AM ET
I followed this yesterday IWO, and you need to make it out to more of these things. You can be an honorary scout ... except for the pedophilia…
Baroque: a link to explain what a hydra is? really? I for one can certainly find Russia on a map and even sing the African national anthem.... 
Ok; I’m off to teach some undergrads that Africa is not a country… 13 weeks in and this is a lesson they still need to be taught. me love being un eduamacator
Jokinen would be great if not for that small impossible in this universe clause.
Posted by srt on 11/29/07 at 12:32 PM ET
...a link to explain what a hydra is? really?
Check the timestamp. I’m usually in bed for hours by that time, not staying up bored wondering what other misguided assumptions hockey fans are going to have to defend themselves against.
I’m off to teach some undergrads that Africa is not a country
You’re a better man than I am, Gunga Din (or at least a more patient one). The over/under on me throttling the first parent that says something scientifically stupid is about three days, or so says my family, so I think I’ll stick in my nice, quiet laboratory.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/29/07 at 01:17 PM ET
I think the schedule and the economy have a lot to do with it and I am not buying the Euro argument (and have never bought it).
I don’t buy it either, that’s why I was mustering the reinforcements to stomp it out again! 
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 11/29/07 at 01:20 PM ET
Baroque, Perhaps together we can cut at least a few heads off the hydra.
Posted by hockeychic from Denver, CO on 11/29/07 at 02:10 PM ET
Jokinen and seven Swedes? Holly swede! R u jokinen?
Posted by Old Friend from Praries of Midwest on 11/29/07 at 02:26 PM ET
Ok, so I just watched the hockey bloggers clip on the home page but can’t seem to find where Gramps calls Chief prepubescent.
Honestly Chief, I expected you to look more like the Emperor than Rafalski with brown eyes. Weird. Oh well, on with the wit and insight and prognosticatoryiation…
Posted by srt on 12/03/07 at 01:51 AM ET
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..."future Wing Olli Jokinen “...what’s that all about?
Posted by John from Michigan on 11/28/07 at 08:29 PM ET