Semin is getting noticed for his post-season play.

If you’re familiar with our blog, you know that I’m an unapologetic Russophile. And there is no Russian more deserving of my love than Alexander Semin of the Washington Capitals — especially during this post season.  In fact, he’s been so dominant in all aspects of the game that sportscasters, play-by-play and color commentators alike have been forced to acknowledge his stellar play.

You’d think I would be happy that he is finally getting his due, but I’m not entirely pleased.  As a matter of fact, I become a bit more exasperated every time I hear his name, because you never just hear what a great job he’s doing.  Rather, it’s always preceded by something like “not known for his defense …”

Maybe he’s not “known” for his defense but he’s not known for his lack of defensive play either.  He has been a plus player for most of his career and, while he was a mere +9 this year, he was a +22 in 2010-11 and a +36 in 2009-10.  Mike Greene has made more defensive errors in half the games this year and he is a defenseman!  Do you hear the experts make such qualified statements about him?  No.  Am I surprised?   Not at all.  The bias against Russians has emerged in this absurd, covert and undeserved bashing of Semin.

“In a rare effort, Semin dives for the puck,” the NBC Sports team raves.  Rare effort?  Let’s face it, Semin is never going to be an overly physical player.  It’s not his style.  He is deceptively fast as he is a smooth skater trained under the Soviet sports system, and could most certainly out skate the majority of current NHL players.  Yet for whatever reason, the rough-and-tumble skating style of most North American players gives spectators — and even Semin’s former teammates – the idea that these players are trying harder.  If you’re not willing to put your body on the line every shift, you’re accused of not putting out a decent effort.  Again, I’m crying xenophobia.

Then there’s the age-old accusation that Semin just doesn’t care.  Case in point:  “Semin one minute looks like a complete player, then the next looks like he’s not interested in the game,” a color commentator opined during the Boston series.  Earlier this year, his former coach Bruce Boudreau said Semin really does care, claiming no one on the team takes losing as hard as he does.  Taking a two-minute penalty is so devastating to him because of the consequences it might have on the team, Boudreau asserts, that he has a hard time not letting it affect the rest of his game.  This is an insight those highly critical of him apparently choose to ignore, forget or simply not believe.  After all, he’s not Sidney Crosby!

Maybe the North American media are coming around.  Before game one of the second round, they highlighted Semin as the top Cap the playoffs — without a hint of criticism.  I’m not ready to completely forgive the folks at NBC Sports just yet though.  If he fails to live up to his performance in the first round, I’m willing to bet he’ll be the first one blamed.  Still, with his contract up at the end of the year, the long-overdue positive PR can only increase the value of the overly criticized and extremely underrated Alexander Semin.

Photograph: Shannon Valerio

Could Fedorov return CSKA to its former glory?

Reports out of Russia indicate former NHLer Sergei Fedorov will retire from competitive hockey and take over as general manager of the venerable CSKA Moscow hockey club.

Russia’s Sport-Express reports that “reliable sources” have Fedorov taking the helm of his old club as soon as May 1.

The once-dominant CSKA Moscow — the feared Red Army team to people of a certain age — has struggled in recent years. No longer the juggernaut it once was, the club is looking to regain some of its lost luster. The Sergei Fedorov brand is big in Russia and a CSKA homecoming would bring some much needed panache to Russian hockey’s grande dame.

In taking the position, Fedorov would unseat Sergei Nemchinov, another former NHLer and contemporary of Fedorov’s.

The newspaper speculates that the addition of Fedorov, along with the freshly inked — and vastly monied — corporate sponsor Rosneft, could enable the team to at last secure big name free agents “including even Alexander Radulov.”

Those hoping to see Fedorov in the GM’s seat might cool their jets a tad, as until a few weeks ago the Russian media had ex-NHLer Pavel Bure all but assured of the CSKA spot.

Fedorov left the NHL in 2009 to join Metallurg Magnitogorsk, where his brother Fedor was signed, saying he was helping fulfill his father’s dream of seeing his two sons on the same team. In 20 NHL seasons Fedorov played for four different teams (Detroit Red Wings, Anaheim Ducks, Columbus Blue Jackets and Washington Capitals), skating in 1248 games, and amassing 483 goals and 1179 points. He is a three-time Stanley Cup champion (1997, 1998, 2002). He won the Selke Trophy twice (1994, 1996) and captured the Hart Memorial Trophy in 1994 and the Lester B. Pearson Award in 1996.

Photograph: Kontinental Hockey League

NHL cop Brendan Shanahan has been busy making judgement calls.

With all the talk about suspensions and headshots during this year’s playoffs, none of us can really claim to know the rhyme or reason why some repeat offenders are getting just one game and others 25. The severity of injury seems to be taken into consideration but that becomes a bit slippery, and in itself doesn’t seem consistent. And, it’s doubtful that Brendan Shanahan has some complex algorithm that a software engineer at NHL headquarters developed for the purpose.

The most confusing, and least talked about of all, is Todd Bertuzzi. Thankfully, he and the Detroit Red Wings have been eliminated from the playoffs but his headhunting of Nashville’s Shea Weber could have had disastrous results. Clearly, Bertuzzi was trying to avenge his hit on Henrik Zetterberg — something that was clearly premeditated. Nor was that a first time offense. For those with a hazy memory, in 2004, Bertuzzi (then of the Vancouver Canucks) stalked and viciously attacked Steve Moore in a game against the Colorado Avalanche.  The attack ended Moore’s career and any chance he had to lead a normal life.

It is true Bertuzzi was suspended indefinitely by the league and did not play again that season, missing the team’s final 20 games.  Then came the lockout.  The IIHF, the worldwide governing body for ice hockey, honored the NHL’s suspension and Bertuzzi was ineligible for international competition or play in other leagues. He was reinstated by the NHL at the end of the work stoppage and continues to enjoy an NHL career.

This is an injustice of great proportions. Saying Bertuzzi served his time because he would have been playing had there not been a lockout is irresponsible.   Many of his contemporaries didn’t play at all during the lockout — and one imagines this might have been the case for Bertuzzi.  He should have served his time by sitting out real NHL games.

So, as I watched Bertuzzi go after Shea Webber without so much as a mention of his chronic, malicious behavior, I lost just a little bit more faith in the NHL’s ability to be objective in its punitive measures.

Photograph:  Shannon Valerio/Hockey VIPs Magazine

Here are just a few items that are getting my goat this year:

• The stat du jour mentioned durning just about every game:  “That was ‘so-and-so’s’ first playoff goal in ‘x’ number of years.”  I’ve heard this multiple time this year. It’s almost always referring to a player who, for example, has played on horrible teams that either didn’t make it to the playoffs or were defeated in the first round, and hence have only played say, six playoff games in the past five years.  How is that statistically significant for an individual player?   Same with the assertion that a goalie, like Jose Theodore, hasn’t had a shutout in the playoffs in*gasp* 8 years.  Guess what?  You can’t stop goals from the golf course.

• Talking about the unacceptable headhunting and retaliation without mentioning Todd Bertuzzi, the man you single handedly ended not only Steve Moore’s career, but eliminated any chance for him to live a normal life.  Has everyone forgotten the biggest thug  of all?

• Mike Milbury talking about honor, and lack thereof.  This coming from the man who I witnessed climb in the crowd and beat a fan – with the fan’s own shoe!

• Pierre McGuire name-dropping.  We’re all really impressed that Wayne Gretzky texted you personally to tell you some arbitrary and obvious fact about the series you happen to be covering that day.  There’s a reason McGuire’s one of the most disliked announcers in hockey.

•  Not criticizing the poster child of the NHL, a.k.a. Sidney Crosby.  The entire first melee began because Crosby slashed Bryzgolov’s glove not once, not twice, but three times after he clearly had it covered.  Also, describing Sidney’s needless grabbing of Hartnell’s jersey and tugging at him when Hartnell clearly didn’t want to get involved, as “wrestling between Crosby and Hartnell.”  Come on, we can all see what happened. Pictures don’t lie.  Stop sucking up to the league and waiting for the network to give you permission to say something even slightly negative about him.

All this and we’re not even halfway through the first round!  Have any of your own pet peeves these playoffs?  I want to hear them!

Val Bure interacts with Canucks fans on Twitter.

Who knew Canucks fans were so easy to rile?  The same fans who have spent the entire season questioning/groaning about/cursing Bobby Lu (that’s Roberto Luongo to those of us outside of YVR), were quick to jump to his aid when former NHLer Val Bure Tweeted that he didn’t believe the team had the chops to make it to the Stanley Cup Final and pointed to goaltending as one of the reasons why.

“I will not pick Vancouver to Win stanley Cup that’s for sure,” Bure had the audacity to opine.

“How dare you?!” Those reading in Canucks nation cried in almost universal outrage.

His reply to all comers, in between discussing the carrot cake he was sweetly making for his wife’s birthday, was a steadfast “I’m sorry, that’s what I think.”

During the course of the day, Bure was hit with a barrage of nasty comments:  Some pointing out his own lack of a Stanley Cup ring, some questioning his hockey knowledge and one wanting to know how he could fail to support the team his brother played for all those years ago.

Throughout the day, he put on a clinic for would-be NHLers and ex-NHLers on how to be engaging and interesting on Twitter.  He didn’t get all huffy and self-righteous the way Dan Ellis did when fans took him to task on Twitter a few years ago.  Instead he used a mix of humor, humility and straight talk (e.g. “I think I know hockey way more then you ever will.”)

While some may take the last remark as arrogance, Joe and Jane Fan at home can’t deny this is true.  And, like his opinion that the Canucks will once again fail to capture hockey’s holy grail, the truth sometimes hurts.

We urge you to follow @ValBure for opinions and discussions on all manner of topics from hockey and religion to fitness, wine and the best ingredients for a carrot cake.

Image:  From Twitter

Henrik Lundqvist is one of several NHLers to appear in the the 'You Can Play' ads.

The National Hockey League has embraced the fight against homophobia — and it’s about time.

With the death of Brian Burke’s son Brendan and the subsequent ceasing of one of the first advocate for potentially gay professional hockey players,  many in the LGBT community wondered if the efforts would continue.

Well, they have. Not only has Brian Burke continued the advocacy, but his other son Patrick has put his efforts into raising awareness about gay athletes.  After his brother’s death, Patrick hit the road with Glen Whitman, the founding member of GForce, a Denver based hockey organization that has morphed from an all-star, all-gay hockey team to a full-fledged advocacy group.  Focusing on college athletes, the group presented panels at the University of Denver, Boston College and the University of Toronto.  Now, he’s created a new non-profit, called the “You Can Play” project.  With several NHL players as spokesmen, appearing in video clips, the support for gay athletes appears to be moving full speed ahead.

More and more pressure is being put on professional athletes to be accepting of teammates and opponents of all backgrounds.  The LGBT community has traditionally lagged behind in public acceptance, but hopefully with help from current NHL players and the efforts of supporters like Glen and Patrick, things will slowly begin to change.  Where it was once commonplace to hear not just the uneducated, homophobic slur, but to hear conscious bigotry against homosexuals, the locker room seemed to take on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality with teammates that were either rumored or suspected to be gay.  Now, the doors of understanding are opening and players will soon be faced with accepting teammates who refuse to hide their sexuality.

Take the March 17 episode of Hockey Night in Canada’s ”After Hours” program.  Vancouver Canucks forward Chris Higgins was asked by a gay Tweeter for his opinion on the “You Can Play” campaign, and how he would feel if he had an “out” teammate.  Kudos to the HNIC staff for allowing the question to be asked, or for literally making Chris Higgins sweat!

Who will be the first NHL player to come out?  Probably someone we least expect.  After all, being in the NHL to begin with defies all stereotypes.    And in my opinion, this is a good thing.

 Photograph:  Screen capture from “You Can Play” ad

The perfect card pack cover boy -- and moustache?!

When you’re a collector, opening a pack of hockey cards is a bit like Christmas morning. You have 5 or 10 or maybe even 36 little presents to pore over and examine, then take out to play — trade — with your friends. As you break the seal on the pack, you wonder: “Will my guy be in there?” “Will I get a good card I can trade to get more of what I need?” As a collector, it’s all about business — getting what you need either through luck of the draw or by leveraging what you receive in the pack to get more pieces for your collection.

When you’re a fan, opening a pack of hockey cards is kind of like looking through a yearbook. You look for your friends: “Oh! There’s Ilya Kovalchuk!” “Look there’s Marian Hossa” You remember hated rivals: “Ugh Eric Staal” And, of course, the popular kids, “That Sidney! He’s just everywhere!” It’s fun to look at cards as a fan. You can appreciate the statistics, the uniforms, the weird pictures that are sometimes selected. You think about your team in relation to the guys you got in your pack.

When you’re a female (or perhaps gay) fan, opening a pack of hockey cards gives you an added bonus.  In addition to all of the above, you get to look at the players from an aesthetic point of view. It’s fun for me sometimes to peruse my cards for a handsome face. Some of my fellow female fans will cry out at me for admitting this. They will say in smug, self-righteous tones, “I like hockey for the GAME!” Heck, so do I, but I also like attractive men and, indeed, hockey has a few.

These ladies mean well, it’s hard after all to be taken seriously as a fan when you’re a female. The automatic assumption is always that you are there for one of two reasons, 1.) your guy dragged you there, or 2.) you’re there just to oogle and/or attempt to pick up a player. But I think we ladies need to relax. We know we know the game, we don’t have to pretend we are guys to prove it. So what if I happen to find Jose Theodore attractive? Does that mean I can’t understand the game too? I think not.

So, being all of these things — collector, fan, female fan — I thought I’d break open a pack of hockey cards and evaluate from those perspectives.

I’m a Collector!

For years now I have collected Vyacheslav Kozlov cards. Around 2006 I began collecting Michael Garnett — a relative unknown goalie who had a nice stint with the Atlanta Thrashers organization. Both players are now in the Kontinental Hockey League, so I know I won’t be finding any in my 2011-2012 Upper Deck Victory pack. But perhaps I can find something to trade for what I need.

A quick flip through finds two noteworthy cards: An Alexander Semin red parallel card. And a Nicklas Backstrom red parallel card. Nice. Each might fetch $3 or $4 dollars on eBay or net a nice trade with someone who needs it for their collection. There are a couple of interesting inserts, but nothing that really wows me. Other than that, the cards are fairly run of the mill — Lubomir Vishnovsky and Chris Stewart, for example might — and I stress might — get 50 cents a piece (more like 5 cents). Not that I plan to try to sell them. I prefer trading and those two probably won’t be causing mass hysteria on the trading block.

I’m a Fan!

A nice Alexander Semin parallel card for the collector.

A second shuffle through the cards and Alexander Semin catches my eye once again. He’s a favorite of a friend of mine and we’ve spent large amounts of time discussing Sasha’s “care factor.” That red parallel jumps up in value for me because of that. I also love the Vincent Lecavalier card. As a Thrashers fan, I can’t say how many times I got to watch this amazing player do his thing. He’s a star in the league, but imagine if he played in Canada. One thing I like about this set in general is that it puts the pronunciations under the player’s name. I think that’s pretty cool. If only I could find a “Mo DAH no” card and send it to the Canadian media. Perhaps then they’d say his name right?! (Don’t make me bust out the “a” with the little umlauts because I’ll do it! ä — there!)

This pack came with two Sidney Crosby cards — a Game Breakers insert and a regular card. Both nice. Mr. Popular — natch. There’s a Milan Hejduk, whom I love and deem to be completely under-appreciated. And, there is a Dany Heatley card that you can’t help but giggle at. He’s in a nice hockey pose, but making the goofiest face. Who decides which pictures to use? I’ve always wondered that. So many cards over the years have had me screaming, “Why would you choose that one?!”

I’m a Female Fan!

"This is my hockey card face -- ya like it?"

OK boys, now’s the time to stop reading. On second thought, feel free to stick around. We hear all about your love of Megan Fox and Fox News’ Kimberly Guilfoyle (what?!) so how about reading on as I once again discuss this Alexander Semin parallel card — this time we’ll be talking about the AQ — Adorableness Quotient — of this card. Just kidding. It is a nice card though, of a fairly cute Cap. There I said it. And I will be keeping my hockey fan cred too thank-you-very-much!

Photographs: Geneen Pipher/Hockey Goddesses

The Boston Bruins with President Obama

I had a co-worker a couple of years back who was one of the nicest guys you’d ever meet. Friendly, genial, helpful. And every once in a while he’d go off on a diatribe about liberals that would make anyone near him  raise an eyebrow, if not two.

I have a notion that’s how it is with the Boston Bruins and their teammate Tim Thomas.

If my co-workers and I were invited to the White House, I have no doubt whatsoever that my aforementioned co-worker would decline the invitation, and none of us would be surprised. According to media reports, Bruins’ management was aware that Thomas would not attend the White House reception for the Stanley Cup champs on Jan. 23, but the players were not. But it’s almost impossible to believe that they didn’t see it coming.

Here’s the statement from Thomas:

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.

This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

and the statement from the Bruins:

“As an organization we were honored by President Obama’s invitation to the White House. It was a great day and a perfect way to cap our team’s achievement from last season. It was a day that none of us will soon forget. We are disappointed that Tim chose not to join us, and his views certainly do not reflect those of the Jacobs family or the Bruins organization. This will be the last public comment from the Bruins organization on this subject.”

Full disclosure: I am a dyed-in-the-wool liberal. And I adhere to Voltaire’s dictum: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.”

That said, it was not the time nor the place for Thomas to make a political statement. An invitation to the White House is an honor that should be accepted no matter who’s in charge. We’re not talking about canoodling with Robert Mugabe or Momar Ghadafi here. This is the president of the United States – OUR United States (Tim Thomas is an American); I was no fan of George W. Bush, but I know he’s an inherently decent human being who was doing the best job he could, and if he invited me and my co-workers to visit, I’d put politics aside and visit.

(And for those who wish to point out that Theo Epstein didn’t visit when Bush was in office and the Red Sox were invited, he was wrong too.)

What really bothers me about this whole stramash, however, is not Thomas’s politics (though really, if you want to live in a country with boundless freedom and no taxation, I hear Somalia is the perfect place), it’s the fact that he called attention to himself on a day that was meant to honor and celebrate his team. That’s a selfish, self-centered act, and is absolutely contrary to what the Bruins stand for.

And for that, I’m disappointed in Tim Thomas.

(Photo courtesy of Getty Images)

Sidney Crosby arrives at the Consol Energy Center

November 21,2011 wasn’t an ordinary day in the NHL. November 21 marked the retun of the greatest player in the history of hockey – nay, the greatest player in the history of any sport! The only reason the NHL exists is to provide a platform for his awesomeness. The King has returned: Sidney Crosby.

But it’s not only for a lowly hockey goddess to remark upon the blessedness of the return of Sidney Crosby, which has saved the NHL from the End Times. There are many in the chorus of the lowly peons who are dancing in joy and weeping in ecstacy.

Versus spokeman: Of course we dumped the Bruins-Canadiens game for The Return. After all, who cares about the greatest rivalry in the history of sports when you can show The King scoring at will against the sorriest team in the NHL? It’s a no-brainer!

ESPN spokesman: Hockey? What’s that? Oh, Crosby’s back? Hey, we love hockey!

Tim Thomas: Yeah, I know Cary Price and I were both coming off shutouts, and I extended my personal shutout streak to 133 minutes in a nail-biting 1-0 win in Montreal, but Sidney Crosby is much, much more important than the defending Stanley Cup champion playing a team that had beaten them twice last month.

Anders Nilsson: I may be a 21-year-old rookie who was making my first NHL start, but I’ll put my 4.25 GAA up against anyone in the league! Oh, um, sorry. Ahem. I’m honored to have been the worthy challenger for His Majesty in his return.

Pierre McGuire:  You talk about the all-around superstar that Sidney Crosby is, it’s been a Crosby-palooza tonight.*

NHL: Let’s hope every player in the league has learned an important lesson. Headshots were fine as long as the targets were guys like Marc Savard. But Sidney Crosby is our bread and butter. He and Ovechkin are the only players ESPN viewers can name. It behooves us all to pay proper tribute. All together now!

NHL players: Hail Sidney! All hail The King!

* I am not making this up.

Photo by Terry Moore

Sound familiar? Those were the arguments used by hockey “purists” not so many decades ago against goalie masks.

Fast forward a couple of decades, and you can trot out the same old arguments against helmets.

Fast forward a few more, and now it’s visors. Some things never change.

It took the visionary Jacques Plante to make goalie masks acceptable, and it didn’t hurt that he was one of the best at his position. It took the death of Bill Masterton – and ten long years of debate and heel-dragging - for the NHL to bow to the obvious and protect the players’ craniums. Will it take the death of another player to finally convince the league and its players to protect their eyes?

Perhaps it will, because it didn’t take this:

Manny Malhotra after being hit with a shot. He might as well have BEEN shot.

And it didn’t take this:

DvXXKzc0u-U

Johnny Boychuk’s slapshot has been clocked at 105 mph. Everyone praised Stamkos for returning to the game after the shield dug a substantial chunk out of his nose, but everyone seems to have dismissed or not even considered the very real possibility that if he had not been wearing it, the puck would have struck him right between the eyes, and it’s very likely the Lightning would have been dedicating this season to a dead teammate.

The NHL is the only hockey league in the world that does not require its players to wear visors. Rookies come into the league today having worn visors their entire lives. Thankfully, the majority of players are keeping them on – the NHLPA, according to the Associated Press, says more than 65 percent of players under 30 wear visors. But if one player is killed or disabled because he doesn’t wear a visor, that’s one too many.

Visors aren’t magic. Nobody believes that wearing one will keep a player safe from all harm. But protecting eyes, like protecting genitals, should be a no-brainer. Anyone want to suggest players forego playing with a protective cup?

And to paraphrase Mae West, macho (like goodness) has nothing to do with it. A puck, stick or skate doesn’t care who is or isn’t a tough guy. If a player wants to fight, he can take a second to flip his lid, just as he drops his stick and gloves.

The CBA is up for renewal this summer, and hopefully the leadership will take these warnings to heart and protect the players from themselves. If a few holdouts are adamant, follow the protocol established by the helmet rule and grandfather visors in. And hopefully a couple of decades from now, we can all look back and laugh at the idea of NHL players not protecting the most valuable of God’s gifts – their sight.

Photo via Getty Images

Peter Forsberg speaks at his jersey retirement ceremony

Saturday night was one of the most moving, emotional nights for me as a hockey fan.  It was the night that the jersey of one of my hockey heroes, Peter Forsberg, was retired.

Like all retirement ceremonies these days, it was more than just the raising of a banner, a nice parting gift and video montage of the player’s career.  In fact, by Avalanche standards, this was exceptionally extravagant.

For the first time ever, a player actually entered from the concourse, down the arena stairs, shaking hands with fans, and entered the ice for one final victory lap while waiving to fans one final time.  Pierre Lacroix was there, along with Stan Kroenke and son Josh, now owner of the Avs.  By pure chance, we were sitting rinkside on the isle that Peter walked down.  Both my husband and I got to shake his hand in what will be one of the most memorable moments in hockey for me.

Peter Forsberg will always hold a special place in my heart.  I rediscovered hockey in 1990, after meeting my now-husband.  My dad had been a Colorado Rockies season ticket holder when I was a kid, and once the team left town, I lost interest in hockey.  Back then, I love Rene Robert and Lanny McDonald.  As a born-again-hockey fan, I saw Wayne Gretzky in his prime and watched Jaromir Jagr and Teemu Selanne in their first years.  But as a Colorado Avalanche hockey fan, I saw Peter Forsberg from the beginning of his career, day in and day out.  While the Eastern Conference media personalities were shrugging their shoulders at his name, fans in Colorado and players all over the league were talking about this amazing player.

I had the opportunity to meet him once before.  Cody McCormick was playing for the Avalanche and his father was in town.  A family friend, he took us down to wait for Cody, and with his encouragement I asked Peter for a photo.  He was friendly, smiling – not the stereotypical stoic Swede.  Whether he was or not, he seemed real.  For all my years as a fan, it was my first, and one of my only, pictures with a player.

Number 21 banner is raised in honor of Peter Forsberg

On Saturday night, the finality of it hit and I was overcome with emotion.  To see a player begin and end his career, one that you had love to watch so much, along with the realization of how much of your own life has passed, is quite an emotional experience.

I will remember every detail of the night – the hand shake, Pierre Lacroix having to be delivered directly to his chair on the ice (does anyone know what his ailment is?), to watching Peter cry as they lifted the banner with his number to the ceiling to hang next to Joe Sakic’s and Patrick Roy’s.

While the finality of his goodbye finally hits me, perhaps I can take a bit of inspiration from a career that was too short and attempt to make my own accomplishments equally as great.  Our opportunities will be gone before we know it, after all.  Or maybe I just bask in the memories of watching one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Photos: Peter Forsberg and jersey raising by Goddess Sasha. Copyright 2011. All Rights Reserved.

Army man Yashin.

Cha-ching! Yashin Back in Moscow

After a brief fall flirtation with the New York Islanders, Alexei Yashin has joined CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League. The former NHLer spent a few weeks working out with his former club, prompting speculation he might rejoin the team. The magical reunion did not happen and he signed with the venerable Russian squad known as the Red Army team. Yashin is cashing in though, as remains on the Islanders payroll through the 2014-15 season.

Kozlov Reclaims Lucky Number

Slava Kozlov suits up for Dynamo.

When Slava Kozlov signed up to play in the KHL, he seemed to have resigned his signature No. 13, opting instead for No. 72 — a number he donned in the days of the Soviet Union and during his first go-round with CSKA Moscow. He took this number again, wearing it once more for CSKA Moscow, whom he signed with at the end of the 2009-10 NHL season. What’s old is new again this season as Kozlov is once again donning No. 13, the number he made lucky during his 18 seasons in the NHL.

Photographs: Alexei Yashin from cska-hockey.ru; Vyacheslav Kozlov from dynamo.ru.

Stastny dons the Ice Tigers crest.

Former NHLer and Hockey Goddesses fave Yan Stastny has signed with the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). Based in Nuremberg, Germany, the Ice Tigers were Stastny’s first professional squad. As we reported last week, Stastny recently parted ways with his former club, CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League.

In Nuremberg he joins a few other ex-NHLers Ryan Bayda (Carolina Hurricanes), Eric Chouinard (Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild) and Sven Butenschön (Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Vancouver Canucks).

Photograph: From the official website of the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers.

Can this man help heal a broken heart? Here's hoping!

It’s the start of the hockey season — normally a source of great excitement and joy in my family — but I am bereft. My team is gone, spirited away to a better place. A real hockey market — where people actually deserve it.

Right.

I can’t express how tiresome those sentiments have become. But before I spiral into despair over the loss of my Atlanta Thrashers, I thought I would attempt to compile a list of things that are keeping the gossamer thread of love for the NHL intact for me. You know, the kind of exercise completed by depressed people and Oprah disciples trying to force themselves to be more grateful. So here is my self-indulgent, things-that-keep-me-hanging on list…

1.) Fantasy Hockey
If it weren’t for my long-standing fantasy teams, I may have thrown up my hands in disgust and just gone back to being a college football fan like I (as a person living in the South) am expected to do. But I have built many good friendships through my involvement in fantasy hockey and am the commish of a 12-16 team all-girls league. Looking forward to helming my own virtual teams once again has helped me through the bleakest of bleak times.

2.) Boomer Gordon, on-air personality for Sirius/XM’s Home Ice channel
Oddly, I used to kind of dread hearing his voice. It’s not your typical “Hey! I’m a radio guy!” voice, and I used to think he sounded a little drunk on air, but over the five or six years I’ve been listening, he’s become a true favorite. He can be excessively harsh, but has always been fair about the Thrashers, where most people haven’t. Maybe it’s because he is an Islanders fan. No matter, his show has been the one hockey program I could bear to listen to this summer.

3.) Jaromir Jagr
Thank you Jags for returning to the NHL! The anticipation of seeing one of my longstanding favorites has given me something to look forward to, now that I have no team to call my own.

4.) The KHL
I know it sounds crazy, but bear with me. Regular readers know that Sasha and I are Russophiles. We’ve been studying Russian and have traveled to Moscow several times now to watch hockey and raise some hell. My all-time favorite player (anyone care to name him?) is still playing over there, and I try to follow his career from afar. Being able to still be interested in hockey (any hockey!), I think, will help me pull out of this funk so I can one day love again.

5.) Anger
Now that my team has been stolen away, I have powerfully negative feelings toward certain players who dissed Atlanta and, of course, the team I used to love. Hate is the other side of love after all. And just maybe looking forward to cheering against a team will help heal my broken heart.

I’d love to hear from other Thrashers fans — how are you coping with the loss of the team? What keeps you hanging on?

Yan Stastny

The CSKA press service reports Stastny and the team severed ties by “mutual agreement.” Last season, Stastny appeared in 49 games, scoring 12 points.

Photograph: From KHL.com.