Fantasy on Ice

It is starting be that time of year when I get antsy for the new hockey season to begin. Today I set up my fantasy hockey teams and I starting to get even more anxious:

The Burninators	Organized Anarchy

Same as last year, I have two teams. Organized Anarchy is in a competitive league and I picked my players in a live draft. The Burninators are in a casual league where players are auto-drafted based on my preferences.
James, you'll be happy to know that Brooks Laich is on both of my teams.

One month and five days until the new season...

I wasn't expecting this but I'm a little emotional

I have admit that I got a little teary eyed when I read this headline:

Pat Burns, Stanley Cup winner, dies at 58, Friday, November 19, 2010, 6:29 PM, By NHL .com

You may be thinking "Who is Pat Burns and why would this upset Janice?" To make a long story short, he was the first Montreal Canadiens head coach that I remember. I was 10 years old when he started coaching them and he took them to the Stanley Cup finals. This coincided with a time that I was becoming much more aware of who the players were and understanding the game. I cried when they lost the finals.* He was a good man that always will have a special place in my heart.



* Interestingly, ever Habs fan that I've met that is around the same age as me has also admitted to crying as well. It is a tough time when your heroes fail.

I didn't I could find Jon Hamm more attractive

Ceramic Billygoats 2010-2011

Here is my second fantasy hockey team:



This season will be an experiment of sorts. I have two teams every year but decided to have one in a competitive league and this one in the casual league. I picked my players in a live draft for the competitive team and choose an auto-draft based on my preferences for the casual team. A lot of the players are the same so we'll see which one does better.

One month and two days until the new season...

JC Power 2010-2011

The live draft for my fantasy hockey league occurred this afternoon:



I'm a little upset with myself because I broke my own rule of picking goalies first. I also accidentally chose Tomas Plekanec so he better have a really good year.

Here's my trophy from last season:


I'm in a more difficult league this year so I have lowered expectations for myself.

2010 NHL Stanley Cup Prediction: Updated

Sigh, the things I do instead of homework.....



Please forgive, I didn't have much time to make the bracket image. Hopefully I'll have time to improve it by next round (and talk about my rational). It is unfair that hockey playoffs coincide with finals. Two years ago, I asked my doctor if she could write me a note to excuse me from finals until the hockey season was over -- she was not amused.


Add: James Cybulski of TSN made the exact same prediction as me. That has to count for something? Exact same logic as I (if you care).

Champion!

If only I could translate this into not pretend success...

Grace in Small Things: Day 24

Has a rough day so a couple will be hockey themed (thus it will not make sense to most of you)

1. Some one in my fantasy hockey league dropped Tuukka Rask. Fool! He will be my 3rd goalie after Martin Brodeur and Evgeni Nabokov. [Translation: I have really good goalies]. This same fool dropped Alexander Semin when he was on injury reserve.



2. Martin Brodeur got a shut out! I'm in 1st place in my fantasy hockey league and my lead increases everyday.


3. Pilates started again today! I missed it so. At the beginning, the instructor asked me to talk to the class about how it has benefited me since my falls.
   
4. On the way to school, the bus driver saw me about a half block from the bus stop so he stopped for me


5. My bus driver on my way home has mad defensive driving skills. A taxi ran through a yield sign and the bus driver avoided him completely. I don't know many people who could have reacted that well in a car let alone a bus.

Grace in Small Things: Day 23

I'm going to do things a little different, I'm going to give a bit of a story to go along with the things for which I am thankful for the sake of context:

I couldn't find my bus pass this morning so I missed the bus. I didn't have time to go to my locker before my 8:30am lab:
1. I'm thankful I was still wearing my coat and mittens when the fire alarm went off and we had to stand outside in -2C weather for a half hour.

After we finally started the lab, my water pump broke so I have to come back another time to finish it:
2. I'm thankful for extra time to work on my two assignments due for tomorrow.

The assignments were not going well and my professor was not where to be found
3. I'm thankful for spontaneous airplane making contests, even if I lost. Sometimes you need some silliness to help make it through the day.

4. I'm thankful for Alana because my assignment would have taken way longer if we had not worked together.

I attended a physics lecture this evening at the university
5. I'm thankful for carmel double chocolate chip cookies for snack afterward.
6. I'm thankful for traveling companions for at least part of the bus trip home.

After a very long, frustrating day
7. I am very thankful for having silly people in my life that like nerdy things like I do.
8. I'm thankful I got home before my parents went to bed
9. I'm thankful to watch the last period of hockey (rare occurrence these days)

"This is your time..."

The smallest Herb Brooks impersonator on earth gives his team the 'Miracle Speech'.

When Determined People Have Too Much Money

Balsillie ups his bid for Coyotes to US$242.5

Posted using ShareThis

When Fantasy Hockey Fans Get Antsy

Nhl.com announce that sign up for the official fantasy hockey leagues started on September 1 but not at what time of the day. Starting at about 12:00 AM EST people started to get a little punchy as to when the sign up will occur:






I really wanted to add that "your mom" is the president of Yahoo but couldn't think of anything clever enough.

A slightly different picture this year

It wasn't my best year for play-off predictions but at least I got round 3&4 right.

Now after watching easily over a hundred games since October, I'm sure what to do with myself now.

Well, three out of four ain't bad

Wow, wow, wow. When US sports pundits admit they think the Stanley Cup Playoffs are more exciting than the NBA playoffs, you know something special is going on.

I'd like to think that my poor predictions have more to do with 15 of the 16 teams had an honest chance of winning. To be truthful, the only second round prediction I got wrong was thinking Boston would beat Carolina. Boston lost to Carolina in overtime of game 7 so it wasn't a bad pick. Anyway, here is my revised predictions based more on what I'd like to happen more than anything:

Lord Stanley's Cup: Round 2 Predictions

Ok, so I got 4/8 correct for my first round predictions. Here is what I think is to come:

Janny's Stanley Cup 2009 Prediction

Now let's see if I can make a better prediction that last year. This year I definitely watched more hockey and kept track of the stats of other teams because my fantasy hockey teams. I feel like my decision is much more informed than previous years but I'm not comfortable about my western picks.

The East:

My beloved Canadiens will not make it out of the first round. I adore them but this is reality folks. Boston has beaten them in every meeting this season. Montreal may win a couple games in the series but no more than 2.

Rangers just don't have the skill to beat the Capitals. Enough said.

Carolina is too inconsistent and doesn't have the goaltending to beat New Jersey. Carolina definitely has the ability to make it to the second round but unlikely to happen.

Philly versus Pittsburgh is definitely the series to watch. It will be close but ultimately Philly is the better all around team.

The West:
San Jose has had a play off work ethic all season. What the results of the other series are inconsequential because the Sharks are going all the way.

Chicago and Columbus are young and lack playoff experience.

Calgary is too inconsistent and has too many injuries right now.

Detroit has inconsistent goaltenders.

Vancouver will have an easy first round but lacks the tenacity to beat any of the teams that could make past the first round.

When Seventh Feels Like First

I have three fantasy hockey teams that I manage. One of the teams, the Burninators, has been plagued with injures and underachievement. I kept my eye on the stats so I could make smart trades and pick up unsung heroes. For most of the season, I sat at 10/12 with about 47/144 points*. Slowly progress was made and now I sit 7/12 with 67/144 points and I could very easily move into 6th place. My other teams are within a position to actually win the season but I'm most proud of the Burninators.






*I'm in a 12 team rotisserie league where points are determined best to worst in 12 categories (12*12=144 possible points).

Jumping with Skates

Guillaume Latendresse of the Montreal Canadiens jumps in the air as he screens Karri Ramo of the Tampa Bay Lightning on a shot from the point as Maxim Lapierre #40 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on at the Bell Centre on March 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

True in More Ways Than Just Hockey

"I don't think you can handle the Sharks for 60 minutes." - Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks Center
Sharks were too much for Bruins in third period, Dan Rosen - NHL.com Staff Writer, Tuesday, 02.10.2009 / 11:49 PM / NHL Insider

The Loneliest Man in Sports

You want the most stressful job in sports? Live behind the mask of Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price
Source: ESPN the Magazine Online, Lindsay Berra