What a weekend, right?

First we had one hell of a draft (disclaimer: I will not pretend to be a hockey contract analyst. I will leave that job to people who are WILDLY more qualified than I am, and I consider Game Time to be at the absolute top of that list when it comes to Blues analyses. I will, however, continue to link them so you DO get the type of analysis that is so beneficial in these slow hockey times, even though I’m pretty sure you all already head there anyway). We got Grachev from the Rangers with one of our eighteen bajillion (rough estimate) draft picks.

Then today we heard about the qualifying offers to TJ Oshie, Ben Bishop, and Ryan Reaves (who, with Cam Janssen’s lack of contract renewal, was not a shocking name on this list). What is interesting, however, is the lack of offer to one Mr Matt D’Agostini, who I, and many others, absolutely adore. With his until now status as an RFA, and his impending UFA status if there’s no contract as of July 1, there are many, many questions buzzing about. Will D’Ags sign before July 1? Were the Blues so sure of this that they took the risk of NOT offering him a qualifying offer?

Did his performance over the last year mean nothing? Or is the team hedging its bets?

Certainly there is room to expand for the team just to make it to the rising cap floor of $48.3MM.

Very real questions that I don’t have the answers to. I don’t waste time in the speculation department, even though it’s super fun to say “No, don’t worry, Checketts is just biding his time until Mark Cuban goes ahead and shells out the millions to make sure the Blues stay in St Louis as a winning franchise, and then we can mock our OWN players for their astronomically over-blinged championship rings.”

*sigh* If only, right?

The next few days, hell the next few months, are bound to be thoroughly interesting while we all bide our time waiting for the puck to drop on October 8th. Until then, my friends, snark and links. That’s what you’ll find here. Snark and links.

Ok, guys. Am I the only one feeling like the hockey world is just going a little crazy?

Oh, no, that’s just Philadelphia. Details, right?

So, you all know by now that Beener had his contract extended. You know the 2011-12 schedule was released. And you’ve probably seen that there were so many different posts about it.

You must be asking, “Ann, what on earth could you possibly have to add to that?” Well, um, not much. The analysis of the schedule’s been done (October will be sad, March will be busy). people are happy about BJ (and at a $1MM cap hit, I’m pretty pleased too), so that leaves pretty much nothing.

Well, except for one thing.

BLUES HOCKEY IS COMING BACK, AND THERE IS LIGHT AT THE END OF THIS DARK, HOCKEY-LESS TUNNEL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QicKdrveGU

All photos courtesy of Sarah Connors.

So I don’t know about you, but I’ve been in a little bit of a haze since Wednesday. I have spent the last nearly five solid months writing about hockey multiple times a week and then BAM. Hockey’s gone.

I don’t like this one bit.

I suppose I got really used to having hockey around. Even after baseball started, when I would have been able to fall back into the same patterns I’ve been in year after year, I kept coming back to hockey. Baseball friends would text me when something great would happen with the Cardinals, and my usual reply was “Wait, what happened, I’m watching hockey.” I never really thought that another sport could grab ahold of me so strongly.

My guess is this is what you lifelong fans already knew, what you were patiently (and some others of you impatiently) waiting for me to find out.

This sport, this beautiful, graceful, hard-hitting, exhilarating, nerve-wracking sport, is one of the best sports in the entire world. Period.

I’m a little sad it took me so long to figure out.

It seems I have come to a point where I need to toss out some thank yous.

First off, to this team:

Image flickr/slidingsideways

For letting me cheer for them, and giving me a glimpse of what this will be like when MY team brings home Lord Stanley’s Cup.

To this man:

Image flickr/slidingsideways

For letting me fall even more in love with goalies than ever before. For being an inspiration daily about how hard work and determination really will get anyone wherever they want (and rightly deserve) to be. Let me say it now, like I’ve said before. He will take the Vezina trophy. And if he doesn’t? Well, I’d imagine I wouldn’t be the only one lodging complaints.

To these two friends. For teaching me the sport. For teaching me about the Bruins. For being two of the best people to have as my hockey sherpas ever.

To the many, many people I’ve met and become friends with through this sport, and those of you who come here to read what I actually have to say. You guys are flat out amazing. There honestly are not enough words in the English language to describe how incredible I think you all are.

And last, but VERY MUCH not least, to this team:

For everything. For being my team. For stepping on the ice in that blue note and being proud to wear it. For your determination and drive that will eventually bring the type of parade Boston had today to our very own Market Street. For being in this city, at this time, and letting us all be able to be part of this fan base.

This is going to be a long off-season. Are you sure it’s not October yet?

THIS ISN’T EVEN MY TEAM, AND MY FACE HURTS FROM SMILING SO MUCH.

For the record, I called this before the puck dropped in Game One.

Just saying.

Today, sitting at a bar with plenty of other Blues fans (#BluesForBruins, represent), it was incredibly blatant just how much this sport brings people together. This team, these guys that so many discounted as the playoffs continued, not that we’d know anything about that, brought nearly an entire fan base together. No, not all Blues fans were cheering for Boston, this is true, but having the memory of being swept from the playoffs two years ago apparently was too much to handle for many of my fan base.

Not that I was complaining.

At any rate, I don’t even think my excitement right now BEGINS to come close to what Bruins fans are feeling. Watching a team I’ve been cheering for just since the early weeks of April take Lord Stanley’s Cup for a spin around the ice made me almost giggle with excitement. It’s just a surreal feeling.

Congratulations to the Bruins, and much thanks to them for letting me cheer through four full rounds of playoff hockey.

Hey Blues? I want this for us. Make that happen.

Edited to add:

This game belonged to the Bruins. Beginning to end, this belonged to Boston.

I have never seen a goalie chased off by half way through the FIRST PERIOD. I mean even against the Blackhawks in round one Luongo lasted past the first intermission. Marchand’s wrister was an ABSOLUTE beauty, Lucic snuck one through the five-hole, and Ference chose to flip the Canucks off using the scoreboard instead of his left hand. And then? Bye bye Looey.

See Luongo? This is what happens when you piss off the, in my ever-so-humble and nonbiased opinion, best goalie in the league. You don’t poke the bear.

I like to think that Tim Thomas is very similar to Turk in this clip.

Of course Lou will get the start for the Canucks in Game Seven. Like Milbury and Roenick are talking about right now, I wonder which Luongo is going to show up.

But now the Bruins go up against what has been their Achilles heel for this series. They go back to play in Vancouver. I don’t know what it is about that city that has made the Bruins play a bit like a peewee team, but it has. They’ve moved through molasses, they’ve skated like they’re all running on fumes, and they’ve frustrated the hell out of every Bruins fan and any other hockey fan who has adopted them.

Guys, this is it. This is what it comes down to. Game Seven. Everything these guys have ever dreamed of can be a reality on Wednesday….or it can be wrenched from their grip at the last minute.

I’m going for dreams.

Dear Boston Bruins, Please beat the hell out of the Canucks on Wednesday. Do it.

First of all, Blues stuff. In case you hadn’t heard, the Blues have signed Chris Porter to a one-year contract extension. He joins four other Blues players to be signed this offseason (the list can be found here).

I must say, I’ve been pretty pumped about what the management is doing with the team this offseason. Even with ownership in limbo, not knowing where the budget could potentially end up, the team has signed players to contracts that won’t be a huge cap hit, that aren’t outrageously overpriced for what the on-ice production will be, and that will benefit the team on the ice in the long run. Me likey.

Though, let’s be real here. With this signing, and having Ryan Reaves as an RFA left to be signed, the questions begin about whether Cam Janssen will have a spot on the roster next season. Given his puck-handling skill (or some would say lack thereof), and the ever-decreasing need for the enforcer role, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was one who didn’t come back, much to what will be the dismay of the St Louis local crew who see him as “one of their own.” I love Cam, I really do, but I don’t know if his future lies in St Louis.

Moving on. Tonight’s game.

There are a bajillion and six ways to say “It’s Now Or Never.” There’s one. I won’t list anymore. The Bruins will either force a Game 7 or they won’t. Simple as that.

I sure hope they do, though. I’m not ready to say goodbye to hockey.

For what hopefully won’t be but might be the last time this season, GO BRUINS.

The Bruins scoring chances yesterday? Obviously weren’t. Grammar puns.

Had I known that this game was going to be a repeat of the previous games in Vancouver, I probably wouldn’t have even started watching it. I watched games one and two and ended up very frustrated after them. Why would I consciously do this to myself again? Oh, because I can’t help it, right.

Home ice advantage hasn’t meant anything to the Bruins this entire playoffs, so why are they starting now? I mean, we already know about their powerplay. The lack of scoring on a powerplay is nothing new. Not being able to poke in rebounds, or any of those shots that absolutely SHOULD have gone in, that part’s new.

It was a frustrating game, sure, but the thing about game 5 that stands out most happened OFF the ice. Can someone please explain to me why Luongo is determined to piss off EVERYONE? See: Comments he made comparing Round One to the Olympic Gold Medal Game. Sure, I suppose he’s entitled to his opinions, but how can he think that taunting Timmy is a good idea, especially after those 14 goals Luongo has let in? Has he not seen what happens after someone makes Timmy mad? Hope the Canucks are ready for a Game 7.

The Bruins have to come back now from a 3-2 deficit. They haven’t had to do that throughout the entire playoffs. I know they can. Game 6, in Boston, Monday night.

I believe.

Somehow I was able to get through the entire night without anyone telling me the score of the game, since I was at a wedding. No one looked it up, no one sent me any Twitter comments on it, no one called me.

And then? Then one person sent me a text message.

SO. FREAKING. CLOSE.

So let’s be real. I have not watched this game. I have it DVRed and ready to go, and yet I know the Canucks won. How is that any fun at all to watch? Probably because I can’t even help myself. I am addicted to hockey, and I don’t care who knows it.

Tomorrow is the Race for the Cure with the Blues team, and since we are getting there STUPID early, I will be watching Game 5 when I get home. Thoughts and comments to come after that.

Ugh, stupid text message.

If you want a really happy response to this game, I’m sure Emily over at Dekes and Dangles has an incredible reaction up. Because, even though she’s a Canucks fan, she’s pretty awesome.