Past Meet Present - Below the Stones

The third night of adventuring has come and gone in our RPGTonight campaign.  Below you'll find the recap of the evening in which our adventurers encountered strange creatures, agreed to help them discover what had become of their previous leader though they offered little in return, and came across a strange altar and even stranger room...

A Year of Fantasy Hockey

As the playoffs roll along I'm going to take a few moments to recap another portion of the past NHL season, this portion being my participation in the Yahoo Fantasy Hockey Leagues that I was in.  This year I was in 5 leagues in all, four of them using points given based on how you ranked against the other players in a number of categories such as goals, wins, and so on.  The last one was my first ever head-to-head league which I joined along with a number of other listeners of the Puck Podcast.  Overall I would say that it was a successful season (outside of one league which was horrid), finishing 1st in 2 of the 4 points leagues and finishing 1st in the head-to-head league as well.

My Jersey Wishlist

I love the hockey sweater (or jersey if you prefer).  They look great, are comfortable, and I own a number of them but want more.  In fact I have often wanted a jersey from each team on the walls around my pool table, though of late I have given some thought to selling that since it has gone unused for much of the last several years and the basement has turned into more storage than "game room".  My interest in a jersey collection has grown however.  The only thing really holding me back from getting the collection truly started though is the price as customized replica jerseys with player names can be $150 or more, and some harder to find jerseys are even more.  Even a non-customized jersey will run $100 or more.  However, should I ever begin to collect here is my starting "wish list" of jerseys, and while I want at least one from each team in the NHL and a number from other leagues/teams I have only listed the ones that I know the players whose jersey I want.  I also prefer to have the "home" non-white jerseys unless stated otherwise for the broad range of colors that would be represented.

Deadliest Catch

A few days ago another TV show that I have come to not only watch regularly but look forward to returned, that being "Deadliest Catch".  The show is a documentary on the king crab fishing in the Bering Sea and films four main boats as well as others at times and the Coast Guard as well.  It does this using film crews on the boats as well as a "chase boat" that will go from boat to boat for shots as well.  The show does an incredible job showing just why this profession is considered the "deadliest on earth" with stunning video and great work in bringing the captains and crews and the life they live to the viewers.

Past Meet Present - A Circle of Stones

Last night we played our second night in the recent Forgotten Realms campaign using the RPGTonight website.  At times the pace seemed to slow a bit but despite not having any combat the entire evening there was some good roleplaying and the evening ended at a great spot to pick up from next week.  Below is a recap of the evenings events...

How Did I Do Predicting the NHL Season?

Before the season began this year I wrote up my prediction over on Facebook of how I thought the conference standings would turn out this year.  I remember doing a lot of moving teams around right up until the time that I posted it, but in the end I had felt pretty good about my predictions.  How did I do though?  Let's check it out ... complete with comments from prior to the season...

It's Playoff Time!!!

The NHL regular season is now over and despite the abysmal 2nd half of the season for my Avalanche, and the fact that they not only didn't make the playoffs but ended up with the 2nd worst record in hockey, I can not wait for the playoffs to begin.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  There is nothing better in sports than playoff hockey.  Take hockey, the greatest sport there is, then intensify it tenfold.  It just can not be beat.

This year's playoffs feature matchups in the first round that only add to the excitement.  Every round is going to have the potential for big series upsets and it is truly anyone's game to win as we begin things.  Unlike the NBA where no 5-8 seed has ever made the conference finals, the NHL is a league where if you get in you have a chance.  Last year the Flyers made it as an 8th seed on the final day of the regular season and made it to the cup finals.  Who could be this year's Flyers?  Only time will tell but here are my impressions on the first round as well as a prediction on how the playoffs this year will pan out.

Plenty of Movie Time

I swear that we did more than just sit around and watch movies this past weekend even if it doesn't appear that way.  In fact we spent almost an entire day down the road doing shopping and stuff.  However we did fit in four movies again this weekend (Due Date, Sex and the City 2, Love and Other Drugs, and Case 39), and while I won't go into great detail on any of them, I will comment a bit on them all.

NHL Controversy Avoided ... Mostly

Today the last playoff spot for this year's Stanley Cup Finals was given to the Chicago Blackhawks, and I say given because they lost in their chance to claim the spot themselves only to have Dallas lose it as well later in the day.  This turn of events however, just as having Carolina lose yesterday, could have prevented what would have been a major point of controversy in the hockey world.  If either of those outcomes would have been different then a team with an equal number of points but fewer total wins would have been in the playoffs.

My 2011 NHL Awards Winners

Another NHL regular season draws to a close meaning that playoffs are coming just around the bend. I can’t wait for the playoffs to begin despite my favorite team having been out of contention for several weeks now, but before they do I am once again going to take a moment to make some comments on who I think will win hardware at the NHL Awards Show after the season is over. I did this last year as well and that can still be found over on my Facebook page as a note.

NHL Awards Changes

Last year around this time I wrote a "Note" on FB about changes that I would make to the NHL awards trophies.  I repost that here, below, as I prepare to write up a blog about who I would choose to win the awards this year.

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Changes to the NHL Trophies

In the NHL there are currently a number of major awards that are voted on each year. They are given to those voted to be the best goalie (Vezina), the best defenseman (Norris), the rookie of the year (Calder), the coach of the year (Adams), the “player deemed to be most valuable to his team” (Hart), and so on. Each year there is always discussion regarding who should win and who should be nominated in every category. However there are a couple awards that go beyond just who should be nominated to who should even be considered.

Farewell Footer

People believed that this was likely Adam Foote's last year, and when it was reported that he was rumored to be signed up to be an assistant coach for his sons' youth hockey team next year speculation grew.  Then today it was announced that he and the Avalanche would be holding a press conference tomorrow it all but confirmed it.  It won't be official until then but it doesn't change anything; this will be Foote's last season of hockey.

It Begins - Past Meet Present night 1

The first night of the game is now in the books.  There was a period of getting used to the new virtual table top as well as getting rolling on Vent, and there were some nerves from the GM who hasn't played in some time and then there was the fact that most of these people have never played together, but soon it was full steam ahead. 

The game has some great characters already and has already brought about a few laughs.  One young lad is overly enthusiastic expecting adventure behind every corner and believing there is more to everything than there is, then there is the young lady who really is more gruff than the dwarf, and speaking of the dwarf he and the other young man are both characters themselves with their own unique personalities.

Below is the recap of the evening...  (Note that this is not written as a story, just as a recap...)

Captain Kirk it Won't Be

If Adam Foote retires from hockey this offseason as it appears may be the case, who will become the next captain of the Colorado Avalanche?  This question has been asked many times over recent months, but who will fill that role next season should it come to that?  One thing will be for sure, it won't be "Captain (Shatten)Kirk" as he was traded away and wouldn't have been ready to be a captain this coming year anyway.  Here are my thoughts on the possible captains however.