Yet Another Nifty Use of Lord Stanley's Cup!

Of course hockey moms are all about multi-tasking and multi-purpose gadgets to make our hectic lives easier. So what's proved to be a more multi-purpose sports award than Lord Stanley's Cup?

As the Cup makes its way around Sweden with the champion Detroit Red Wings, Tomas Holmstrom has discovered yet another use for the legendary hardware. He's lending it to a cousin to be baptized in - now that's a cool way to make use of the Stanley Cup!

Can't wait to see how the next guy's going to top that one....

Washington Mystics Coach Reacts to WBNA Brawl

Mystics interim coach, Jessie Kenlaw, voiced her disapointment over the WNBA fight in a statement released by the Washington Post: "I was really quite surprised," said Kenlaw, who is in her ninth year as an WNBA coach, most as an assistant. "I've never witnessed something like that before. I don't think there's an excuse for it, and I don't think we should tolerate it at all. That's not what the WNBA is all about and that's not something I'm going to promote."

Hockey Mom is in total agreement. These elite female athletes are role models for so many young women who are always battling to get above the "glass ceiling" in the sports arena and to see these incredibly talented women react like common street fighters was disheartening, to say the least.

Kudos to Coach Kenlaw for sharing her stance that WBNA players are truly above that kind of spectacle and there should be a no-tolerance policy for such antics on behalf of these smart and gifted female athletes and role models. Go Mystics!

I Went to A WNBA Fight and A Game Broke Out...

As all of us hockey fans know, this is a very slooow time of year for hockey. For Caps fans, we're all awaiting results of Shaone Morrison's arbitration hearing tomorrow but other than that, it's slim pickings until September.

So I wanted to dish about the ladies' brawl that took place at a WNBA game this week between the Los Angeles Sparks and Detroit Shock. This video is spreading across the internet like wildfire; check it out:



Hockey fans see this kind of stuff all the time - what makes it such an interesting case study for a Dr. Phil episode is that these are female athletes. Though I certainly don't advocate fighting in women's basketball, I can understand how the gals' emotions can run just as high as mens' in the heat of competition (I am a hockey mom after all). However, I was very surprised at the level of involvement in this meelee by former Olympian and WBNA vet Lisa Leslie, who's always been one of my favorite female athletes. It will be interesting to see what kind of fines and/or suspensions get doled out in the aftermath of this free for all.

Cool Hockey Film from Snag Films

Back from the Beach - Early Hockey Morning

I'm back from a relaxing vacation in Destin, Florida and literally hit the ground running this morning. First day back to reality and I have to get up at 5 something a.m. to take the boys to the rink before work! Funny thing though, how much I miss the rink. Really!

For someone who was never exposed to the game prior to three years ago (one Cap's training camp at the Ashburn Ice House and I've been a goner ever since) - I love being at the rink. I even get a kick out of watching other kids (besides my own) play or go through drills. This morning was a power skating session with Cold Rush Hockey. The younger guys are on the ice before the twins and she has them skating backward full-speed around these huge zamboni tires. I can just grab a coffee and watch that stuff for hours - I get really stoked when they go to stick-handling camp! Plus, the rink was a much welcome refuge from the 97 degree heat in NoVa this morning. Geez, I come back from Florida and I think the jet stream went haywire when I was gone!

Which brings me to my next purchase, the DVD New England Hockey: Life at the Rink, which is available through Snag Films (one of Ted Leonsis's latest ventures). This site has an array of different sports films and I am always looking for hockey documentaries that examine the realities of the dedication it takes on the part of the parents and the players to play this great game at all skill levels.

I'm slowly getting back in the swing of things and eagerly listening for any fun and exciting hockey news. I was kind of sad to hear of Ted Nolan's (NY Islanders) firing; kind of bogus to fire a guy this late in the off-season. I hope he's able to land on his feet with a decent coaching gig somewhere. Plus, he has a fabulous hockey mullet - it may even rival the Melrose mullet.

Off to sleep - am still recovering from the early morning wake up call of a dedicated hockey mom!

Yo Vinnie! And Huh, Cheerleaders?

As my readers know, I am enjoying a fabulous vacation on Florida's beautiful Gulf Coast but I had to hijack my brother-in-law's laptop due to the total lack of anything hockey-related in these here parts of the South! I just heard about Vincent Lecavalier's "Crosby-esque" contract for 11-years, $85 million! Yo Vinny, looks like the Caps will be seeing you for a long time to come....

And cheers to GMGM for signing Gordo (Boyd Gordon), though HM wishes it were more than a one-year contract. He has a lot to contribute to the team and I look forward to seeing him back next season.


And no, say it ain't so Ted! Ice dancers, cheerleaders, spirit girls? I've always taken pride in the fact that the Caps were one of the few teams in the Southeast Division that didn't have such a spectacle. Note that some of the teams that have "spirit girls" (AKA Hooter's rejects on ice skates) are still trying to establish themselves as "serious" hockey markets. Example: Atlanta Thrashers, Nashville Predators, Florida Panthers...

I would rather pay more for a beer at the concession stand (or as one fan commented on another blog - get the napkins sponsored!) than be distracted while trying to explain the difference between real and silicon to my adolescent sons. When we're there to watch hockey for crying out loud! I will stick to my long-held opinion that cheerleaders have no place in ice hockey. And before you jump to conclusions, Hockey Mom was a serious ballet student in her younger days and tried out for the dance squad (on a dare) for the Florida State Golden Girls basketball dance squad. So I have nothing personally against the "dancers" themselves - I just don't think hockey is the proper "arena" so to speak. And just because you "love the Capitals" doesn't mean you know anything about the sport...

Sorry for the rant folks, but I just wanted to voice my opinion. I guess we'll hear a lot of different opinions on this subject; I'll be curious to hear the consensus.

Back to the beach - I have an ice-cold Corona calling my name! Ciao for now!

Welcome to Washington Jose!

So the Cap's new goalie, Jose Theodore, is slated to arrive at their practice facility any minute to be introduced to the media. Hockey Mom wanted to send her own personal welcome to our new netminder on behalf of all the fans in my acquaintance. We're all looking forward to seeing the newest member of the team at Training Camp. I'm also hoping that the team can lock up Mo (Shaone Morrison) and one of my faves, Boyd Gordon.

In the meantime, here's a glimpse of one of Theodore's glamorous saves as a member of the Colorado Avalanche:

So hopefully the Caps will have a few more signings before we leave for the white sands of the Gulf Coast tomorrow. If so, I'll hear about it from my guys on XM's Hockey This Morning or Power Play (satellite radio is one of the greatest inventions ever - especially on a 16-hour drive!) Am looking forward to a week of sun and sand and one less week that the drywall on my garage crumbles as a result of kids shooting pucks at it! Seriously, I'm afraid one day I'm going to be sitting at my computer (which lies on the other side of the garage wall) and the whole wall is just going to fall down! We had a net but of course they'd rather shoot at the wall - go figure.

So bon voyage and welcome home Jose!