Anyone remember hockey at the fairgrounds?

This is more like it!!! No tape to tape passes...all garbage goals...you heckle the visiting goalie and you know he can hear you...the beer is cheap...pay $10 for your ticket and then move down to the ice level seats without anyone thinking twice (much less bitching about it)...and the visiting team may beat you on the scoreboard but they didn't get out of it without getting the piss beat out of them...
the only thing missing is the Columbus Chill!!!
*Coming soon to a flea market near you! (ECHL '05 for Sega Genesis,Nintendo 64,Atari 2600,Intellivision,Colecovision and Activison only!!!)

GO CANADA!!!

By the looks of the new poll (your favorite to win the '06 olympics in ice hockey) most of you should enjoy this,eh!

Middle Earth Hockey League

Someone's been creative! If you like hockey...and you like the Lord of the Rings movies...you'll LOVE this website!!!
http://www.geocities.com/sotto-voce/caribou.html

Let's face it...(part 2)

The worst though,the absolute worst has to be...(...and I am SO SORRY for saying this. But,hey,I'm not the one who blew it up in high definition and put it on a popsicle stick for everyone!)...the worst has got to be Bryan Berard and his poor,poor eye. Wow. As most of you know Berard suffered the injury as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs when Marian Hossa's stick accidentally struck him. The blow caused a 20-millimeter cut across his eyeball, detached the retina, sliced off the lens and a broken orbital bone as well. Berard faced surgery five more times to save the eye. The injury was considered career ending because Berard could not meet the minimum 20/400 vision standard required by NHL rules. Eventually he received a specially designed contact lens that doctors hoped would allow him to pass the NHL eye test (and did). Beating the odds, Berard worked hard to get back into game shape, as well as adjusting to the vision changes. He had to adapt to playing without depth perception. The incident left the "woonsocket rocket" without an iris to filter sunlight or brightness. He can distinguish light from dark but it's believed he has extremely limited sight with the eye. And,now,for $2 you can get a real good look at it! I'm sorry,but...ugh! On an inspirational note Bryan was finally able to meet the requirements and agreed to a four-year deal worth at least $11 million with the New York Rangers when he returned. His base salary was thought to be about $2 million, all of which was paid to the insurance company from which he received a $6.5 million payout when it appeared his career was over. He played in all 82 games for the Rangers that year and became a Boston Bruin for the 2002/3 season. As a Bruin his salary went to pay off the amount he received from his insurance company after the injury. It amounted to him "paying to play". He could have taken an approximately 6 million dollar settlement, and never played hockey again, while living a pretty decent lifestyle with the settlement money. Instead, he opted to ignore those who said he couldn't play, and return even better.

Let's face it...(part 1)

WHAT THE HELL WERE THE PEOPLE AT THE COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS FOUNDATION THINKING?!? The grant-making,public charity (formed back in march of 2000) has done a remarkable job utilizing the unique resources of its professional athletes,coaches and staff to help improve the quality of life throughout the columbus community. The Foundation donates time, resources and financial support to organizations committed to meeting the educational, cultural, health and wellness needs of people throughout central Ohio. That's why during all 97.1 fm/Columbus Dispatch family nights this year you can trade your $2 donation for a Blue Jackets "Game Face" ($11 for the set...I got mine for free...don't ask.)! A terrific idea (in theory) to compliment the foundations other programs such as "Rick Bands","Hats for Heroes" and "Stick With Kids". But,they really did not think this thing over before they did it. Putting hockey players life-sized,highly detailed faces on lightweight sticks as souvenirs. It's all right there for you and your children to enjoy. Todd Marchant and his hairy mole ("MOLE! Mooooolllleyyy mmooolllleeeyy mmooolllllley MOLE!"). The detail is so fine you can actually see a booger in David Vyborny's nose! Um,let's not even get into Jody Shelley. Enough said.

MORE SEPARATED AT BIRTH!

(NO WAY!!! It's Peter "Captain Caveman" Forsberg and Chris "The Sherminator" Owen.) "You have been targeted...for shermination! Preparing to deploy refreshing fermented hop beverages!" Y'know...in the wake of shaving the ol' "soup strainer"...sometimes you see things that just make you think,"Ugh...I REALLY have to grow the beard back!" Kudos to Forsberg for keeping his on!An added note,check out http://www.divealanche.com/ for more rib tickling fun with Peter Forsberg!

Canada...

Training!

DRINK...2...3...4...CHEW...2...3...4...

The beard's bushy last stand?

If I score today I'm shavin'...'nuff said. GO AOD!!!

I'll trade you a Teemu Selanne for a...

They were giving out packs of hockey cards at the Jackets and Rangers game last night. They were a random,miscellaneous assortment. And out of all the people that could be included in the modest,single pack that I took who did I get? My ol' favorite and beard guy extraordinary LANNY McDONALD!!!

2 Jim's can't be wrong!

"I think it's very nice." That was the response of blue jackets tv personality Jim Day when asked what he thought of "the french tickler" (jim's beard). Both jim's agree it could only enhance the AOD centers performance this session. "Look what it did for Jody Shelley. He grew his back & got a goal tonight," added Day! "And he's only a 50 percenter!"

I've been sick.

Spent the better part of a week fighting a cold i made worse by playing some outdoor hockey already sick. It was worth it. We tied the league champs in our session opener 1 to 1.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH #6!!!

Me and AOD alternate captain/CD101 personality Steve "the doctor" Smith!

7 DAYS TO GO!!!

We are now a week out from the start of AOD's next session and there's lots to be excited about! A fresh start,some new blood,a new jersey/crest in the works!
And if there's still any of you out there searching for excitement or inspiration I suggest you head on over to:http://www.darcyhordichuk.com/!

PUTTIN' ON THE FOIL...AND A NEW DVD!"

"The Chiefs!" is a 75-minutes documentary film that digs its fingernails into a truly bizarre sub-section of Canada's National Sport. The LHSPQ is the NHL's perverted little cousin. Here you may see 10 fights in a single period, or a bench-clearing brawl in the warm up. Coaches beat on each other. Goalies go at it. And players hike through the stands to slug it out with fans. Welcome to Laval, Quebec, home of The Chiefs de Laval, the toughest team in the Quebec Semi-Pro Hockey League. The story begins underneath the bleachers in the back of an old arena. Once a ramshackle storage area, it is now a ramshackle apartment, home to several of the team's tough guys. Although it is cold, noisy, and a fire exit on game days, it is rent free and the players don't seem to mind scaling the fire escape, or climbing through second-story windows to get in and out of their home. Throughout the season, the arena dwellers fight their way to celebrity status but when the playoffs begin, the Chiefs find themselves in a viable position to win it all and the goons end up watching from the bench. As the team progresses closer to the championship game, the battles once fought on the ice become battles within themselves. Am I a hockey player or a circus clown? The plot turns even more on end, when an underground boxing promoter surfaces with an offer that seems too good to be true. With characters like a crazed ex-military strong man, a six foot seven, 320-pounds giant, and a French Canadian superfan who believes that hockey is religion and The Chiefs are gods. For info on the movie go to:
http://www.ehproductions.com/leschiefsflash/
For info on the Laval Chiefs go to:
http://www.chiefslaval.com/

"I'M NOT PISSED."

"I'm not pissed about not being named to the german olympic hockey team," JIM explained recently. "I already wrote the commission a letter withdrawing me for consideration. So,there's that and the whole 'not being born there' thing working against me. Besides,I'd rather focus on the upcoming AOD session."

Furthermore HE added,"the mother country of my ancestors is one rich with beer,pastries,leiderhosen,weird techno music,questionable franken-meat dishes and really disgusting,avant garde fetish videos. Not to mention David Hasselhoff. Who wouldn't be proud to skate down the ice with the weight of that on your shoulders? But,come on,man! Jan Benda? Petr Fical? Lasse Kopitz? I think I'd rather stay home and listen to my wolfsheim cd's. Danke schoen anyway." Upon mentioning NHL notables participating in the Turin games such as Olaf Kolzig,Jochen Hecht,Marco Sturm,Sascha Goc and Dennis Seidenberg JIM asked,"Do you think I could put an umlaut over the "i" in my last name?"

"People always pronounce it "steeers" and that really pisses me off," he explained sadly.

A WINNER ON & OFF THE ICE!

Being the true nice guy that he is Greg Dillinger (winner of the name Jim's beard contest) surrendered his prize to competitor Harry Gee last night @ Jim's place as members and friends of the ARMY OF DARKNESS hockey club celebrated the new year. It was a touching moment. "These are tears. I think. Look close. No? You sure? Aww,c'm-REALLY?! You sure?! REALLY?!" exclaimed Jim after the heart warming moment. HAPPY NEW BEARD TO YOU ALL!!! (The official name of the beard,you ask? 'jean-luc the french-canadian tickler'.)