I know I promised some KHL hockey observations, and I have many, but in lieu of what has transpired over the last 24 hours I feel it necessary to give some thoughts on the Kovalchuk trade. Fellow Goddess Kaatiya is still in mourning and like most Atlanta fans may be so for quite some time.

Colorado is my team of course, but Atlanta is my second. I love the diversity of the players in Atlanta, the Russians and the Swedes. My pal Salmela is unfortunately gone along with Ilya, but I still love the team.

As hockey fans, we often get attached to individual players. I know I sure do. While some people don’t separate the individual from the team, it’s the whole persona that individual players often bring that endear us to a team or a sport. Ilya was one such person. He was a fantastic player, a kind soul to fans and a wonderful father and wife to his family. People watched him grow up in Atlanta. It’s hard to take that he just didn’t want to be there anymore.

Fans will blame the owners and GM, but really, if he had wanted to stay he would have for the deal he was offered. Yes, people will argue past problems with the team, but with the ownership issue resolved this year, the team went out and got Antropov and Afinogenov per Kovy’s request. And it hurts those of us who truly loved him and believed he wanted to stay in Atlanta for his entire career.

I know, I know. You’re going to tell me it’s just business. But we’re all human. We want to believe that people aren’t just motivated by dollars and really care about the fans and the organizations that have given so much to them.

Despite the heartbreak many of us are feeling, I am a perpetual optimist, and I see much in this trade to be optimistic. Hurt feelings aside, I believe this isn’t the end for the Thrashers, but a new beginning – and a legitmate one at that. One only need to look as far as my number one team, the Colorado Avalanche, to see what a plethora of youthful talent can do for you. A solid goalie (Kari is about ready) and hungry youngsters is how all great teams start. Detroit has proven this time and time again.

Atlanta has made some savvy moves in this deal. Take Niclas Bergfors. He’s one of the top scoring rookies this year in a defensive minded system. Put him with Afinogenov or a passer like Kozlov and watch this kid bloom. Oduya? He’s just the defenseman the Thrashers have needed this year. One can argue this had been the team’s biggest weakness this year. It also doesn’t hurt to have another player of African decent in a city with a large African-American population. The Thrashers need to grow their fan base, and this could help market the team. I don’t want to overplay the ethnic issue, but as a Native American, I can tell you that any team with Natives on it sure becomes more interesting to me and is the reason I came back to hockey in the early 90’s. Then there’s Cormier. Suspension aside, let’s not forget that he was the captain of Canada’s World Junior team this year and is a physical force and exciting to watch.

Finally, and what might get me into hot water, is my response to the fans that are crying foul on the management. Putting the past aside, I can’t fault the GM on this move, as much as I hated to see it happen. Hindsight is 20/20 but I think everyone believed that Ilya really wanted to stay in Atlanta. I’ve seen many fans on message boards saying they will no longer be Atlanta fans because of their disgust with the ownership and management. Yet based on the attendance at games, I wonder how many true fans there really are? Don’t get me wrong. I understand that there is enough corporate sponsorship for the survival of this team (something Winnipeg simply can’t rival – sorry folks,) and that poor attendance isn’t enough to move them, but if you love this team you need to come out and support them. If you claim to be a fan, why aren’t you at Philips Arena for games? If Ilya isn’t enough to bring people out to games, perhaps some exciting, passionate youth who might be willing to get out in the community and sell themselves will do the job.

Only time will tell, but I, for one, am not giving up on the team.

Good afternoon campers!  You don’t know me but my name is Amy and I am a new member of the Hockey Goddesses. The lovely Goddess Kaatiya invited me several months ago to join this lovely group of ladies; and finally now that the dust has settled from the holidays and my real life, I thought I’d come by to  say hello.

I am very happy to be coming to you from the lovely town of Hooterville which is out here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest; and I have been a hockey fan just about all of my life. It was started not only by a hockey loving mother; but being so close to the Canadian border, we were blessed with being able to have the CBC on our television every Saturday.

These days, I am not only a huge fan of the NHL; but a lot of my time and some of my money goes to one of the newest teams of the Western Hockey League aka the Everett Silvertips. I’ve only been a fan for about five of the seven years that the team has been around; but it’s something that I love so much. It’s been fun to watch these players come in to the league as boys and grow into young men, especially when you get to know them off the ice. The Tips are part of the five team US Division that also includes the Portland Winterhawks, Seattle Thunderbirds, TriCity Americans and the Spokane Chiefs; and their division is one of four that are a part of the WHL, which itself is under the umbrella of the Canadian Hockey League along with the Ontario Hockey League and la LHJMQ or the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

So, that’s a little about me; and hopefully in the next few weeks and months I can give you not only this fan’s view of the Tips but also the WHL and other junior hockey goodies. And thanks again to the lovely Goddesses for bringing me on board. Hopefully Kaatiya and Sasha make it back from Russia with lots of tales of the KHL and not too much frostbite!

Oh, and the Tips go for win #11 in a row in Portland tonight…Good luck boys and GO TIPS!

We apologize for the sporadic posting at Hockey Goddesses. Life really did get in the way, with both Goddesses having multiple careers and time is at a premium right now.

However, we have decided to revive our blog with a report from none other than the Atlanta Thrasher’s Casino Night. The night is always a great event, for a great cause. While many teams have charity events, I must say the Thrashers always put on a night to remember.

The event was held at the Opera House on a record chilly Atlanta night, yet it took no time to warm up as the festivities began. Goddess Kaatiya had brought a game program for our friend Tatiana whom we are going to visit in Moscow next week, with the intent of getting the Russians plus a few others to sign.

As much as I wanted to stop by Toby Enstrom’s table (in fact it took a while for it to fill up) tradition dictated that we stop by Slava Kozlov’s table first. Plus, I wanted to save the best for last in Toby. Slava remembered me as the crazy woman who was learning Russian, and we actually got to exchange a couple of phrases. Last year, he let the assistant deal but was determined this year to do it himself. As always, he was incredibly kind, signed a personalized message to Tatiana and gave me a yellow chip! After chatting with an apparent Russian friend of his at the table for a few minutes, I moved on to find my goal for the year – Maxim Afinogenov.

The ever serious Slava Kozlov © 2010, Geneen Pipher and HockeyGoddesses.com. All Rights Reserved.

You have to understand, as a speed skater of many, many years, I love Max and his speed. He’s so amazing to watch, and I’ve admired him for a long time. He is an incredibly sweet, genuinely friendly man, and had a smile on his face the entire night. He truly enjoyed himself and you can tell he’s having he time of his life playing for Atlanta. When I told him we were leaving for Moscow next weekend to see some KHL games, he got excited and told me I had to go see Moscow Dynamo because “They’re my team!” He was more than happy to sign the program, and humored me by listening to me make no sense in Russian. He played until they closed his table, keeping both men and women alike entertained.

The lovely Maxim Afinogenov. © 2010, Geneen Pipher and HockeyGoddesses.com. All Rights Reserved.

Next stop was Nik Antropov. Of course, his table was fully of young females batting their eyes at him, yet he gladly wrote a personalized message to Tatiana.

We stopped to chat just a bit with John Anderson, Evander Kane and get a pic with Boris “healthy scratch” Valabik and Johan Hedberg, who seemed much more relaxed this year.

Finally, we got to Toby’s table. You have understand, Toby is my favorite Thrashers player because a) I love Swedes, b) I love Sweden, c) I’m a fellow defenseman and d) He’s so damn adorable.

Unfortunately, as last year, we got to his table very late in the game. The goddesses had consumed much vodka and the tables were close to closing. Still, he was very sweet and I told him I may be making it to Stockholm or Gothenburg to coach hockey next summer so we talked a bit about Sweden. Next year, Toby, I promise to start with your table!

Toby Enstrom and Goddess Sasha. © 2010, Geneen Pipher and HockeyGoddesses.com. All Rights Reserved.

At that point, time was running out. Ilya Kovalchuk had long closed his table and like the wonderful husband he is had gone upstairs to be with his wife whom is 7 months pregnant. They left a bit early, but I was able to snag him and get his to sign for Tatiana. I refrained from begging him to stay in Atlanta – we had already made half a dozen signs doing that exact thing for the game against the Caps the night before.

As the night came to a close, I ran into Anssi Salmela. I told him I liked his hair and he got very excited, telling me he dyed it and that it was naturally lighter. The ensuing conversation was … interesting. And we’ll leave it at that. I did get a nice picture of us though.

Goddess Sasha and Anssi Salmela. © 2010, Goddess Sasha and HockeyGoddesses.com. All Rights Reserved.

I must say, the mood wasn’t as jovial as last year. With Kovalchek’s contract still far from being signed the future of the team is tenuous. It also may very well be Slava Kozlov’s last year in the league, which is also left us feeling a bit melancholy.

Regardless, I’ll be back next year. The Avalanche don’t have a casino night (one of the few teams in the league that doesn’t) and really, the Thrasher’s event is top notch.

On a side note, I had considered handing out my business cards in case any of the guys were interested in a trainer, but I managed to only give out one and that was just to use the back to write on. It seemed like it might not be an appropriate venue to push my services.

Next week, Moscow! Yep, Goddess Sasha and Goddess Kaatiya are going to Moscow to catch some KHL games. Look for live Tweets from the games, as well as blogging.

До свидания!

Check out Goddess Sasha’s pictures from last night’s Avalanche/Red Wings game. Datsyuk and Zetterberg and Holmstrom … Oh my!

The Tampa Bay Lightning participated in a “Naked Shootout” as a team bonding/motivator. Martin St. Louis is hilarious. We recommend this video … what do you think?

Check out new Philadelphia Flyers pictures from Goddess Kelles. Onward to the photos!

Check out Goddess Sasha’s pictures from the Avalanche-Stars pre-season game tonight.

Joe Sakic has retired, the Avs sat out the free agent frenzy, and they are still trading high ranked prospects for career minor leaguers.

I understand. Teams have to rebuild. The salary cap has changed the game. One would think that a team would have some foresight and get some creative marketing to keep the fans coming, or at the very least interested. No so for us Avalanche fans. Below you will find the letter I sent to the Avalanche (complaints are not welcome in the Avalanche organization and the only email on their or the Pepsi Center website is ‘webmaster@pepsicenter.com’ and it specifies that that it is for tech issues only – all other correspondence is directed to – get this – snail mail!).

Screen shot of the Avs website’s “Contact Us” page as seen on July 18, 2009 (click the image above to see full size).

* * *

Dear Colorado Avalanche,

It is with a touch of sadness (yet more frustration) that I write this letter.  We are wishing to rescind our initial 2nd set set of season tickets, the ones that were to be located in the “Avaholic” section.  Although it is quite a deal, we feel that we can’t invest any additional money in an organization that quite frankly does very little, if anything, for its fans.  For now, we are going to hold on to our current season tickets, although at this point we are uncertain as to what we will ultimately decide as we approach the beginning of the season.

My husband and I are long time hockey fans.  We come from families whom had season tickets for the original NHL team here in Denver, the Colorado Rockies.  We have been season ticket holders for almost 10 years, and since the inception of the team, before our incomes would allow for full season tickets, we were 14 game holders, our total investment equaling thousands of dollars. We love the team and the sport, yet the attention given to fans in Colorado is one of the poorest in the league.

Several times a year we travel to other cities to see the Avs.  Each time, we’ve had an experience that far exceeds any we have had in Colorado.  From San Jose to Atlanta, L.A. to Boston, Dallas to Calgary, and may others between we have seen organizations that care about their fans.

Little things such as allowing fans to go to the lower level and sit by the glass to take pictures or cheer on the team during game warm-ups are allowed everywhere we have been – except Colorado.  In fact, one is not even allowed to go sit by the glass with lower level tickets, unless you are going to sit in your assigned section.  Practices are much the same, with no access to the glass.  Instead, fans are forced to sit in the stands, obstructed by netting.  We have been told this is a liability, yet I can name at least a dozen venues I’ve watched practice at the past two years and not a single one denied fans the chance to watch from the glass.  Even in this years rookie camp, we were not allowed to watch from downstairs by the ice.

Other examples abound.  Special events for season ticket holders and other fans are nearly non-existent.  Go to other cities and you will find charity events such as casino nights where one can interact with the players.   Even a huge market team such as the New York Rangers has such events. Yet in Colorado, there almost nothing, save for a fashion show where players are highly protected from the constituents. Game promotions are few and far between, and the quality just isn’t what it is in other cities. I would be happy to expand on the above issues to any interested party.

Pierre Lacroix has asked the fans to be patient while he rebuilds the team, yet what incentive do we have to be loyal?  Sometimes, promises of a good team just aren’t enough.   Look at a team like the Washington Capitals, whose organization even in tough times has marketed the team to the fans and made them feel like the team truly is theirs.  Various programs, promotions, and simple access to the team (something that costs nothing), has lifted the team to new heights and was well on its way even before the arrival of Alexander Ovechkin.

I have considered writing this letter many times throughout the past few years, and have finally reached the point where our concerns should be heard.  In times of such economic strife, why should anyone spend their hard earned money on a team that quite frankly, has shown they care very little about us.  And, in a city where the economy is actually much more favorable than most other cities in North America, the already pathetic attendance supports our concerns.

Thank you for your time, and we wish the team better times in the future.

KHL logo

Anyway, here’s the schedule (pdf) >>

Notes: The home team is listed on the left. I am really hoping to see Richard Zednik again.

The Thrashers signed a guy I think Goddess Sasha will approve of: Peter Mannino of her alma mater, DU. Yay!

Peter Mannino in his DU days.

He’s Baaack!

Jason Krog skates for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
The Thrash also picked up Jason Krog, he of the wild mane. He was with the Thrashers’ organization for a while and kicked butt for the Chicago Wolves. Of course, he’s been with many NHL organizations for a little while. He has so much potential — come on Krog, you can do it!

Photos: Mannino by Goddess Sasha; Krog by Goddess Kaat. Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.

• Is the first pick really going to be a surprise?  Really?  I think they’ve been touting Tavares as the first pick for 3 years now.
• Poor Tavares.  Don’t hate me Islanders fans, but, yeesh.
• Garth Snow, you are younger than this goddess and look a decade older.  What happened to you?
• Oh damn it just pick, Tampa Bay!
• Oh my broken heart.  I wanted Hedman.  Excuse me for a moment while I shed a tear.
• He’s beautiful too, what can I say?
• Ok, refocus.  The Avs are next!
• I know I am in the minority here, but really, I don’t want to see another center.  Sorry Matt Duchene, I just would rather have someone that isn’t a North American.  Just one, ok?
• Interesting trade there, but who really thought that Pronger was going to stay in Anaheim.  He sure seems to wear out his welcome everywhere, doesn’t he?
• Lucas Sbisa.  I don’t mind seeing him more in the west at all.
• Blah blah blah. Why do I have to listen to Pierre McGuire?  Why?
• Surprise, surprise.  Can we get to round two now?  Wait.  Did we give that pick away too?
• OK, on to my second favorite team, who will hopefully get my sympathetic favorite.  I can only hope … and be jealous in the process.
• Poor kid has yellow teeth, but I like his personality.  Seems like a good head on his shoulders.  Can we just get him now?
• Evander Kane?  Sigh.  Where is my other Swede?
• Oh wait. He’s black!  Get him in Atlanta!
• Ah, good move.  And he wants to be a 50-goal scorer.  Sweet.
• Ok, refocus.
• Brayden Schenn.  The Kings have got to be good soon.  They’ve got incredible talent.
• Ahahah!  Brian Burke!  Lol!  Need I say more?
• No respect to Alex, but I believe that Luc Bourdon was a Ron Delorme draft pick.
• Ooooh….trade with Columbus?
• I want to go to another draft again.  It’s been over 10 years.  What do you say, Goddess Kaatiya?  Are you with me?
• Another Swede. We could have had.  Sigh.
• I’m noticing that all these guys have cut their hair for the draft.  Interesting.  I hope that it isn’t a sticking trend.
• Interesting.  Toronto is always good for the multicultural pick.
• Oh Brian Burke you’re such a politician.  Not.
• Ok. Now I feel old.  Joe Nieuwendyk is in management. I think this is a sign.

( Had to take a break and take the cats out.  What do you expect?  It’s the off season! )

• So it takes my how many picks to see my Swede go. Will the Russian still be around for the second round Avs pick? Yeah, I know I’m crazy, but I can hope.
• Nashville picks Ryan Ellis?   Poor kid.  Looks like a 13 year old.
• Ooh.  Drama!  NYI and Minnesota?  What’s the deal guys?  Ok, nothing terribly exciting. Get me all wound up for nothing.
• I want to care about Ottawa, I really do. But I just don’t.
• Damn Oilers!  They got my Swede!  Booo!  A division rival too.  Sometimes life is just not fair.
• Chris Pronger — what a prick.  Sorry, it had to be said.
• More picks I’m really not interested in.
• Oh wait! The Russian.  Dmitry Kulikov.  Picked by Miami no less.  Well, if he’s going to sign in the NHL and bring his parents here, Miami is probably the best bet.  Good call.
• The announcers are really trying to get interesting stories where there aren’t any.  No disrespect to the guys getting drafted, but the stories are all starting to sound the same.
• Another Swede?  Wow. This time to St. Louis.  And he still has his hair ;)
• OK, the host city deserves some attention. I’ll give Montreal a bit of love.  And they pick a Quebecois.  And the crowd goes wild!
• Nothing else of note in the first round, except the lovely Philippe Paradis, who looked so mature and intelligent with his little glasses.  In fact, so much so, it deserves a picture.

I wrote this about a month ago, and now that Calgary is out of the playoffs it seems a little less timely.  Still, I felt it worthy of posting. Apologies for the lack of posting here lately, but as you can imagine, with both goddesses mourning (or pouting?) the lack of their teams in the postseason, sour grapes can often distract one.

The poor Steve Moore saga drags on, and the longer it drags on, the more furious it makes me.  I’m pretty much a “it’s part of the game” when people unfortunately get injured, but no matter how many times I look at the film, I can’t see any justification for this.  And I feel so horribly for the guy, who continued to be directly harassed.  Few things in professional sports make me want to cry, but the injustice in this whole scenario I  find incredibly depressing.  It really gives the league a black eye, more than a few “denigrating” words.

The latest on Steve Moore

The video of the incident (if you haven’t seen it)

And finally, an unsung hero who is someone I have always respected — Andrei Nikolishin, who was keeping an eye on the situation and immediately jumped on Bertuzzi to stop the attack.  He was only in Colorado a short time, but was loved by his teammates, and has wherever he has gone and, if you’re interested, is still playing in Russia, captain of Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL.

I’m not only saying this because I am a Colorado fan.  Anyone who knows me knows I try to be completely objective when it comes to the league. In fact, I tend to be more hard on my team than on other teams.  But as I’ve said before, I am more about the individual players than I am a team.  And when people’s livelihoods are effected, I can’t help but be saddened.

As I watched past films of the NHL back in the 70s and 80s, the words a wise man closely tied to the NHL once told me suddenly rang in my ears.  Yes, the game as major-league sport was in its infancy, but the intensity and tenacity of these players once they hit the playoffs was incredible.

We’ve seen it this year in some of the teams, and we’ve seen it completely lacking in others.  We’ve seen it expressed in the wrong ways, which to me is probably the most disappointing.  Cheap shots to the head were almost unheard of back in the days of helmetless players.  Players had some level of respect.

But I digress.  What I really wanted to expound upon is the fact that there are teams out there that don’t know how to play in the playoffs.   Washington?  Look at the talent on that team!  They brought excitement to their fans every game this year.   We “ooohed” and “ahhhed” at Alexander Ovechkin’s exuberant tenacity, at Alexander Semin’s incredible hands and Mike Green’s brilliant slapshots.  What have they brought us in the playoffs thus far?  Nothing but frustration.

Beauty isn’t going to get you very far in the playoffs.  Neither is clean play.  And let’s face it, hooks and frustrated cross-checks aren’t going to get you anywhere but the box.  Look at teams that historically have had great success in the playoffs.  They have grit, brawn, and yes, some sneaky, chippy, and sometimes cheap play.

Ironically, it’s one of the players that is the most despised in the league that is playing an old style of nasty, grinding, playoff hockey.  Say what you will about Sean Avery, but no one can deny the impact he has had on the Capitals-Rangers series:  Getting under the skin of opponents, distracting them on the ice and giving the goalies a whack here and there to throw them off.

Washington?  Where is their Sean Avery?  Where is their forward camped out in front of Henrik Lundqvist, smacking his stick when the refs aren’t looking, giving him that extra little bump?  Give the goalie too much respect and you’re going to end up with a big goose egg in your goal column.

Don’t like the Sean Avery adulation?  How about Detroit, who has at least three — maybe even more — pests in their entourage, with Chris Draper and Tomas Holmstrom leading the pack.  Take a look at any team leading their series and you’ll find they have at least one or two guys who play that role and another one to two who will join their ranks in the playoffs.

And that, my friends, is what brings intensity and fans to playoff hockey. 

Because if you’re not cheating, you’re not trying.