The Snow Plough: Inspiring Many

I think it was Charles Caleb Colton who once said, "Imitation is the sincerest of flattery," and over on some site called the Cats Pajamas or whiskers or something like that, we're seeing it first hand. Granted that site was around in the early days of this decade (and I must admit bringing some interesting articles and interviews) but our jump to the fore of rumors, rants and stories this summer has brought them back to life. Whoever is running it over there; we’re glad to have been such an inspiration, we accept your thanks.

Seriously though, I don’t think we have too much to worry about, we don’t moderate our comments. Your view is clutch.

~Raoul Duke
Raoulduke111 AT yahoo.ca

So you want a signed puck?

The easiest solution yet has been found by a baseball fan in Boston known as the "Hammer" who managed to get himself a ball signed by the entire bullpen by offering up nude pictures of his ex-wife. You may be asking what this has to do with hockey but bare with me.

I came across the story this morning on Deadspin via Roto-World:

One of them gets the idea that the "moneyshot" picture should be shown to the players in the Red Sox bullpen. So he folds the picture and flicks it over the railing so that it lands in the steps of the bullpen. And that is when the party really started. Papelbon comes out of the dugout during the game holding the picture in his hand with a bemused face looking for the guy who threw the picture. The whole section starts buzzing with excitement and Papelbon and the "Hammer's" friend who threw the picture start talking to each other. I cannot hear what was said, but during the next half-inning break, Papelbon emerges. The section goes nuts again and this time Papelbon signals to the "Hammer" to get ready to catch a pitch, and he throws a baseball to the "Hammer". It was signed by the entire Red Sox bullpen, and they wrote "Thanks for the bullpen pics"

Upon reading that I instantly seen how this could work in the Elite League: Simply get your seat behind the players bench of your choice, bring along some nude pictures of your WAG and start tossing them into the players bench in return for a signed puck from your favourite player. It's fail safe.

Warning: Don't waste your time trying this if you are in a relationship with a 'woman' from Coventry.

We're open to your views too. Seriously!

Believe it or not the title is the truth -- we do care -- honestly! And to prove it we have decided to go ahead and open the blog up to comments like a real blog. After all without you people we wouldn't exist (ok, so we would still exist, we would just direct ourselves towards a different sport, but we love our British hockey and we love you all too).

It gets boring blogging on a one way street but we know you're out there, we read the forums and so we've decided to make your voice heard. You know we like the feedback, for good or ill and we want you all to engage in a bit of light hearted discussion on whatever we happen to blog about. Rip us, rip each other, rip the article, rip the subject of the article. Or if you really want, praise us -- we promise we don’t get bored of that, nor do we delete it.

So come on, click below . . . Buy the ticket, take the ride.

~Raoul Duke

P.S. Any anonymous tips, photos, suggestions, questions or queries you can direct to me at raoulduke111 AT yahoo.ca

Tessier / Steelers scandal reminds us hockey hasn't gone away, you know!

All has been very quiet here lately. We have been outside in the summer sun trying to remember what ice hockey looked like. Still, we were brought back to reality when a call from a friend informed us of a newspaper article that Sheffield Steelers hot-shot Dan Tessier had been sacked and then stabbed in the back for good measure.

This got me jumping . . . I like nothing more than a bit of good scandal. Of course, moments after clearing the dust from my keyboard and logging onto the interweb, I realised that slick Dan Tessier hadn't actually been knifed in the back, but still there was a web of finger pointing, deceit and 'he said, she said' about it all. This was my ballpark.

There is no point me going over the entire story again. If you care you probably know by now and if you don’t know by now you probably don’t care and if somehow you do then check the above link to the story.

Like the professional I am I got on the ball and called some contacts who could not locate Dan. When I talked to the Steelers they denied they had ever heard of anyone called Dan Tessier but I finally got a number from an ex-pro I often drink with and when I called the number I was greeted by a man claiming to be Dan Tessier's agent. He informed me that Dan wouldn't be talking to rogue journalists but did confirm to me Dan's disgust and hurt at the entire situation.

"Dan is a winner and he is terribly upset at how bitter the playoff victory back in April now tastes in his mouth. He was sure the team loved him when they handed him a set of Golf clubs during the post-playoff-final-game celebrations," (to show off to them hated Panthers, an ex-team of Dan's that could in a dramatic twist become his new team again). The agent went on to say, "Dan now feels ashamed and embarrassed to find out them clubs were not meant to be used as a departing shot at the Panthers fans left in the crowd but more as a departing gift from the Steelers organisation as he was getting his contract ripped up. He should have seen it as the first sign that they would rather see him on a Golf course than the Sheffield ice next year".

When I pressed the fellow further on Dan's response to this gesture all he would say is that Dan no longer has the golf clubs but he will be getting a gun, whether that be as a successful applicant to the Canadian Provincial Police or for his own safety when he returns to Nottingham is yet to be known.

The best bit about it all is that it is set to run and run. Happy June folks.

~Raoul Duke