Today’s Reason You Love Hockey comes from Angela, a dedicated yet oftentimes silent Gentle Reader. She was coaxed out of silence a few times in IPB’s near moribund discussion of Harry Potter, but has otherwise been a quiet observer of the insanity here. So it is with great pleasure that we get to share with everyone her wonderful list of some (but not nearly all) the reasons she loves hockey. As always, if you are moved to put pen to paper and share your reasons for loving this great game with IPB, please email us at interchangeablepartsblog [at] gmail [dot] com. And in the meantime, lets give it up for Angela!
just a few random reasons (of the many) that i love hockey, in no particular order:
- alexander ovechkin’s nose
- vincent lecavalier’s style
- i have a crush on canada
- have *you* ever tried to skate like that? it’s wicked hard!
- your blog cracks me up.
- i used to say that i loved art, hockey, my all-clad pans, ebay, and harry potter. harry potter has sadly been removed from that list – the last book was so crappy it sort of befouls the whole enterprise, imho. not possible with hockey. no matter how much douchebaggery is perpetrated by any single player, none of them could single handedly blow the whole thing.
- today my seven year old son made the mites travel team here in las vegas, nevada. it was his first try out. he went to bed with a smile on his face and a puck under his pillow. aww.
Angela, that last reason just chokes me up! That’s so sweet!
And as for that fifth reason, just email us your Swiss bank account information, and we’ll have those 100,000,000 IPBucks transferred there within 30 minutes! :P
he went to bed with a smile on his face and a puck under his pillow. aww.
double double aaawwww… :D
he went to bed with a smile on his face and a puck under his pillow. aww.
double double aaawwww… :D
Triple triple triple awwwwwwwww!
Does he get some money? Is there a puck fairy? Is that really what I should have done with all those free promotional pucks I’ve been given?
he went to bed with a smile on his face and a puck under his pillow. aww.
double double aaawwww… :D
Triple triple triple awwwwwwwww!
I second the double and the triple. :D
Who knows, he might be the first kid drafted by the NHL that was raised in Las Vegas!
Those are all great reasons, Angela! I’m so with you on the skating thing. It just doesn’t seem possible, some of the things those guys do while ice skating.
Nice one, Angela!
That’s one nice looking avatar, Kate… bits!
Thanks Schnookie! I’m in the process of creating a new Word Press account, and it’s creating some identity issues. Am I Kate, or Katebits? Caboose, or Key Mascot? Typepad or Word Press?
Who am I? What has hockey done to me?
Hockey is tearing you apart from the inside!!!
Totally, Schnookie! I’m a Monnnn-ster! *shields disfigured face with hands*
Well, you’re more of a monster… I mean, you were kind of one to start out with, no offense…
Heh. That’s true. I really shouldn’t blame my elephantitis on hockey. Only God is to blame for that one.
I blame Drury for mine!
Damn it! I escaped his robot herpes, but ended up with his elephantitus. Stupid, SPW!
Consider yourself among the lucky ones. I got the robot herpes, the elephantitis, the leprosy and the restless leg syndrome.
…and the restless leg syndrome
Do you have unexplained gambling urges?
Katebits, I was going to say that you have a very impressive caboose, but now it’s gone…
Wanna bet that I don’t?
Woops. Now it’s back. Very impressive.
I daresay Katebits’s caboose is resplendent!
Hah! I won’t take that bet. I don’t have restless legs syndrome!
Wait. Is Drury the reason I can’t get rid of this ringing in my ears?
I’m thinking that my caboose is Willful tonight, Schookie! But thanks, I like the little caboose too.
Aw, man. It’s gone again, isn’t it?
Yeah, Katebits, the ringing in your ears and that metallic taste in your mouth — those are both from Drury. And are your fingers numb? I’m not sure if that’s from him or from Gomez…
(And yes, the Disappearing Caboose is at it again.)
Pookie just said that the Disappearing Caboose sounds like a case for the Pommerdoodle Detective Agency.
Pommers and Crunchy are over here right now, taking my statement. They are on the case!
And look — they already found it! They are truly amazing detectives!
Good work, Pommerdoodle! *scratches Pommers behind the ear*
Oooooh look at Katebits with her shiny new avatar!
I know, Steph! We’re so fancy!
And now it went away! You’re faceless again!
Uh-oh. I hope you didn’t pay Pommerdoodle already.
Pommerdoodle is good for a lot of things, and he’s very well-trained, but there are limitations. You really shouldn’t ever pay him until the job is well and truly done — his attention span isn’t really that long, you know…
Okay it is REALLY a sign of having little to do when I keep refreshing the page to see the chronicles of Katebits’ little icon, right?
Are you suggesting an obsession with Katebits’ caboose would only be a product of boredom? While that might very well be true, isn’t that the sort of thing you shouldn’t say to her face? Maybe she’s really self-conscious about her caboose?
I heard she can’t even cover it because it’s so big!
But I love Katebits’ caboose! I was so worried when it disappeared!
harry potter has sadly been removed from that list – the last book was so crappy it sort of befouls the whole enterprise, imho.
Yeah, it sucked pretty bad didn’t it? Still, at least it’s SOMETHING. Not you know, cliffhanger forever.
And AWWWWWWWWW on the kiddo. That’s superduper sweet!
Kate, nice caboose :)
lovely caboose with its endearing disappearing acts :x.
I assure you, I am not in the slightest self conscious about my enormous caboose.
That’s the spirit, Katebits! You’re like the Sid Crosby of the IPB (Ir)regulars, with that un-self-conscious love of your caboose! Celebrate it!
I can’t believe you guys hated Harry Potter. I thought, considering all the hype and things there were to wrap up, it was pretty good. I hated the cheesy epilogue and there were a couple of small things I would’ve changed… but for the most part I really liked it.
I didn’t hate it either, Heather. I thought it was pretty much in line (quality-wise) as the other books.
Guess what I’m doing right now? I’m watching the 9-1 Sabres/Flyers game. Somehow I got myself into a state of unbearable Pommerdoodling last night. I literally couldn’t sleep, and when I did, I dreamed about hockey. After a valiant attempt at doing the house cleaning I had planned for this afternoon, I decided, “Fuck it”, and plopped down to watch my favorite Game to Remember.
Oooh. Hank just scored his goal, Heather. I’m Tally-ho-ing!
Heather, I didn’t hate it per se. It’s just, at the leaky lounge they asked us to fill out a thing with our 10 favourite theories before the book came out, and 9 of my guesses were right. I was sort of annoyed that it was so un-twisty that I figured it out on my own. And the epilogue was a huge disappointment for me.
And Yay! Hank! Whoooooo.
Mags! Your Tigers counterpart just nailed two home runs in one inning – it’s clearly a good Mags day.
YES! Eat that Oakland!
I hate to say it, but I lost interest in Harry Potter sometime in the middle of the sixth one. We read them aloud, and that forces you to take notice of the writing more, so a few chapters into HP 6, I realized the construct of every scene went like this:
“Ron, Hermione, Harry, Ginny, Fred, George, Mr. Weasley, Mrs. Weasley and Hagrid walked into the room. Hagrid, Fred, George, Hermione and Ginny sat down at the table and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley, Harry and Ron stood by the window. Fred, Hagrid, Ron and Hermione were silent while Harry, Mr. Weasley, George, Mrs. Weasley and Ginny talked about what had just happened.”
Every sentence is like JK Rowling’s character roll-call version of the Iliad’s catalogue of ships, but a hell of a lot less interesting. I also completely lost interest in the adult-world politics and whatnot; my fondness for the Potter series was for the boarding-school genre, whimsical stuff, I guess. (I found the moody, teenaged Harry to be utterly insufferable as a character.) I only read about four sentences of the seventh book over Pookie’s shoulder, and that was at least three sentences too many for me. She only read about 1/3 of the book and just couldn’t keep going any longer, so we skipped to the treacly, disappointing epilogue (apparently Rowling wrote that several years ago, which probably explains why it was so unambitious) and read spoilers of the plot online. The only thing that could have redeemed the last book, in my opinion, would have been if Hagrid had died. I hated Hagrid, all the way from book 1.
Honestly I read them because if I didn’t, as an English major, I would have nothing to talk to all my fellow English major friends about for like a month. The story had its charm, sure, but the writing, dear lord. Someone needs to get Rowling a proper editor because whoever she’s got now is just not getting it done.
Someone needs to get Rowling a proper editor because whoever she’s got now is just not getting it done.
Amen! She simply cannot write. She might have some great, imaginative ideas, but she needs someone else to put them on paper.
I also found the series lost it’s charm when Harry started to mope about being famous. I couldn’t believe that the 7th started out with Harry being as upset about Rita Skeeter writing lies about him in a tabloid as he was about Dumbledore being gone. I don’t know about you all, but I was reading those series to enjoy the whimsical fun world of a magical boarding school — not to find out about how J.K. Rowling feels about being a celebrity.
I also think she took a very cowardly approach to killing people off, and couldn’t handle the balance between writing a serious commentary on war for young adults and writing a fun fantasy series. The people killed were all bit players, the loss of whom didn’t really effect Harry very much. And what’s up with one of the twins suffering a horrible, disfiguring war-wound, only to be joking about it 2 pages later? The fuck?
Give me His Dark Materials, any day.
I feel like I missed out on some good stories by not being able to fight through the writing. I have absolutely no inkling of anything about Harry Potter except what I see in commercials and hear fans say to other fans, because I couldn’t get past the first chapter of the first book. At the time I just figured it was because it was for kids. But I think I’m the only adult I know (except my immediate family) that hasn’t ever read any of them.
So I appreciate your saying that the writing wasn’t that great. I thought I was the only one.
I’m kind of glad the series is over–maybe my Harry Potter fan friends will now let me get a word in edgewise to start rambling about hockey (which they care even less about). :D
Exactly! When Harry got all mopey and bitchy the whole story started getting a hell of a lot less endearing. And the problem I had with it was that I really didn’t like anyone. I mean, you know how you always have a favorite character, even if they’re just some random unimportant bit part character? I just didn’t. Like. Anyone. None of the main group really appealed to me that much, so it was really hard to really feel for anyone.
And she just lost track of her characters in that last book, I think.
Give me His Dark Materials, any day.
YES. I love them! Oh my god I waited like seven YEARS for book three of those. I’m really anxious about the movie now – it looked fantastic from the previews but it seems like something that would be really hard to make a movie of.
And what’s up with one of the twins suffering a horrible, disfiguring war-wound, only to be joking about it 2 pages later?
I figure that’s just Fred and George. Humor is a way of not having to deal with the terror of the situation.
The people killed were all bit players, the loss of whom didn’t really effect Harry very much.
I don’t care if it didn’t affect Harry, but Remus and Tonks dying killed ME.
Give me His Dark Materials, any day.
Love them. Luff.
I’m really anxious about the movie now – it looked fantastic from the previews but it seems like something that would be really hard to make a movie of.
I was figuring I’d ignore the movie, since I was (and remain) very adamantly against the HP movies, but then a coworker strongly encouraged me to check out the preview online. I got chills! Watching it on a teensy-tiny screen on my not-so-great computer screen I got chills. The HP books didn’t have anything going on but the story, and they were written to be very cinematic, so what exactly was a film version going to add to the experience? But there is so much to “The Golden Compass” that I’m really intrigued to see a film-maker’s take on it.
Patty, I’m glad we could assuage your Harry Potter worries. I will say the first 4 were a ton of fun to read, but I had the pleasure of reading them before the hype really took off, and before the movies started being made.
I figure that’s just Fred and George. Humor is a way of not having to deal with the terror of the situation.
Yeah, but Rowling isn’t talented enough to really make that come across. You have to take the initiative to think, “Oh, okay, humor is a valid response”. On paper, it’s just Rowling only being able to write those characters in one tone. She’s incapable of adding subtlety and shades of gray to her characters. Harry is mopey. Hagrid is loud and boisterous. Hermione is nerdy and bossy. Ron is goofy. They can’t react to any situation unless they follow those specific character traits. If Rowling could write at all, Fred and George would be able to laugh while also commenting about how their lives were now irrevocably changed by the war.
Um, I’m not sure if we are still operating under the pretense of protecting the people who haven’t read the book yet, but just in case. Spoilers ahead.
I have no strong feelings about her writing. It’s not good, but whatever. I just read HP because I found the story line compelling and the cliff hangers enjoyable. I pretty much skimmed the last book. I just wanted to find out what happens. Because I never had any expectations of the actual writing I just read the final installment for closure, and as far as that goes, I found the book pretty satisfying. I don’t really agree that she was cowardly about killing off characters. Short of killing off one of his two best friends, Rowling was pretty ruthless over the course of the series. I think having either Ron or Hermione die would have been borderline gratuitous, and honestly, given the emotional attachment her readers had to these characters, I don’t begrudge her for wanting to spare her younger readers the grief. Maybe my expectations were too low, but I approached that whole series like watching an enjoyable sitcom. I mean, “Cheers” was a great show in it’s day, but I’m not trying to compare it to Citizen Kane or anything. (Actually, I like Citizen Kane quite a less than Cheers.)
I agree Harry got way less appealing as he got older, and I found it really annoying that he never seemed to trust Dumbledore. The epilogue was totally stupid.
What are His Dark Marterials? Citizen Kane-ish, Harry Potter books? :)
Cheers is so much better than Citizen Kane. That was a terrible example. I should have used “Who’s the Boss”.
but Remus and Tonks dying killed ME.
See, I never had much of an attachment to Tonks, but I really did like Remus for a while…and then by the last book I was just confused as to what on earth she was doing with him, and whether or not she just ran out of things for him to do. It might have just been me, but he didn’t seem to really add anything for that story, so when he died it was like “…oh.”
And Pookie you are oh so right about the way she wrote the characters, that drove me crazy through the whole thing. Oh and as much as I try to pretend I am skeptical and even a touch concerned, I am totally excited for the Golden Compass movie – it just looks so amazing and I really don’t want to get my hopes up but the bears! And I’m convinced that Nicole Kidman is just perfect as Ms. Coulter.
There is no better casting decision EVER than Nicole Kidman as Ms. Coulter! There’s one shot of her in the preview that is just soooo the essence of Ms. Coulter. And year, the first shot of the bears just stunned me. And, hellooooo Daniel Craig! I now have very, very high hopes for this movie, which means there is no way I’m not disappointed, but right now I’m just poomerdoodling over it.
Katebits, His Dark Materials is a trilogy written by Phillip Pullman, that came out before HP. One of the three books (I think the 3rd) was the first young adult book to win the Whitbread. The writing is stunning, the characters very complex, and the ideas are… well, let’s just say it’s not as much for young adults as one might think. I cannot recommend these books (especially the first) enough. The villain makes Voldemort look like Papa Smurf. I also think they’re the type of thing you wouldn’t want to see first in movie form, so if you’re interested, I’d say start reading them before December. I’m under the impression they pack more of a punch if you read them aloud or listen to them. The audio book is read by the author and I’ve heard great things about it. Schnookie and I read them aloud a few summers ago and for the four weeks or so it took to get through them, I literally couldn’t think of anything but them. Every night for a month I dreamt really vivid dreams about the characters and the worlds. Very, very good stuff.
The audio book is read by the author and I’ve heard great things about it.
I have the tapes and I highly recommend them. He makes the story live more than anyone possibly could.
I bought the first one when I was in sixth grade, the second one came out that summer, and the third I’m not even kidding it had to be about 6-7 years later. I was dying, dying over it. And then when I finally got it, I had to reread the first two to remember at all what was going on – and I loved them more than when I’d first read them. the second one does lapse a little, but the third more than makes up for it.
I’m with you when it comes to the pommerdoodling, Pookie – I don’t even care if I know it won’t live up to what my hopes for it are because I am so excited. (The funniest thing about Nicole Kidman as Ms. Coulter is that the whole time I was reading the books I pictured her with blonde hair – I probably misread some description of the golden monkey at first and applied it to her instead – and when a friend pointed out that it was actually black in the books I was totally like what? No! And then Kidman has the blonde hair so while some people were complaining that it didn’t match, for me it just like I’d been right all along :P
I enjoyed the last book for the most part. I disregarded her writing skills or lack of them. It was more predictable than I would have wanted, but in my opinion it was better than the 5th and 6th books.
*Spoilers*
I hated that Remus and Tonks died more so because of the fact that they were just married and had a baby. I think Fred was the one that bothered me the most, but I believe it’s because of what the actor who played Fred made of him. There were some really unnecessary deaths, ummm Hedwig? An owl? Seriously? I would have liked her to take more time developing the plot and let her fans wait for a totally awesome-o book. I’m satisfied enough, but it definitely could have been better.
And none of the books ever topped the 4th one for me.
And none of the books ever topped the 4th one for me.
The 4th one really was fantastic. Schnookie, Boomer, Kate the Great (our other sister) and I read that one aloud over the course of 2 weeks one summer vacation. It was so much fun to turn off the TV, settle in the living room and listen to friends read a fun book aloud. Boomer had a really hard time reading the names “Dobby” and “Dumbledore”, so every 4th chapter we heard all about the adventure of Dooby and Dundledore.
Haha, I’m sure I would pronounce everything wrong. I thought Sirius was pronounced as si-rous, but that’s what makes books so great. All the mishaps that happen when you read it ends up creating a story of your own besides the fact that everyone interprets the story differently.
Oh, yea Dobby’s death hit home too. Poor ugly, but nice Dobby.
Jim Dowd said Friday that he has been working out and preparing as if he’ll be going to training camp somewhere, but the 38-year-old center still hasn’t heard from GM Lou Lamoriello whether the Devils want him back for 2007-08. “I’ll be in touch with him,” Dowd said. “He says we’ll talk.”
How sad is that? I know he probably won’t be signed, but I let out an aww when I read the article.
Aw, poor Jim Dowd. I have to say, because I got on board the Devils bandwagon after ’95, I’d never really had much affection for him, but he so won me over this past season. I’d love to see him back, even though I’m not sure how he’d fit in the line-up (I’d like to see a 4th line of Rupp, Clarkson and Asham).
I agree with you Pookie. I have a soft spot for guys that are all heart and soul. The fact that he came from NJ was icing on the cake. I also love how involved he is with the community and he never forgets his roots. Lou has some cap space, throw the guy a pity signing! I can picture Jimmy as Rocky trying to prove to Lou that he is just as good as the youngins (mind you I’ve never seen any of the Rocky movies so I totally made that up). Calling him and leaving messages, but Lou never calling back. Poor Jimmy Dowd.
Honestly I read them because if I didn’t, as an English major, I would have nothing to talk to all my fellow English major friends about for like a month. The story had its charm, sure, but the writing, dear lord. Someone needs to get Rowling a proper editor because whoever she’s got now is just not getting it done.
I skipped everything else for fear of finding out more than I want to about the 7th book (no, I haven’t read it yet-yes, I still intend to even though the 4th was the last one I really liked) but I did want to say that once an author has reached a certain level of fame and profitability, their editor is no longer in a position to force changes upon them. Generally with authors like that, publishers say things like, “Oh, you’d like to see a fifty-second version of the front cover? Our pleasure!” and just try to make the author happy. So at this point, it probably didn’t matter who her editor was, because what she wants is what she gets.
Also, all the English majors read Harry Potter now? They didn’t at my school and I wonder if it’s the fact that I’m a few years older or if it’s that NYU is home to some insufferably pretentious English majors.
Hey, Ookies, what games are you going to while in Buffalo? Are we planning on all sitting together at the games? Any thought as to how we’re going to buy tickets together? I just need to make sure I don’t plan on going to the games you guys are going to with Marky Mark.
Oh what, we don’t get to meet Marky Mark? :P
I’ll send you an email with some price info… watch your inbox for it!
Also, all the English majors read Harry Potter now? They didn’t at my school and I wonder if it’s the fact that I’m a few years older or if it’s that NYU is home to some insufferably pretentious English majors.
Seems like all of my friends who have anything to do with that department have – and for some reason a good 80% of them ignore everything remotely intolerable about the books and just love them. I don’t get it.