Uneven Bangs

While some kids may have looked forward to the beginning school year, our household was just the opposite. My mother always was a firm believer in new school year, new clothes and a new haircut. I have twelve years of bad school photos to prove it! As if that was not enough humiliation, my brothers and I would also get our "summer cut" when the weather turned warmer.

My brothers might have had a tougher time because I remember one summer in particular. We were moving to another city at the end of the school year and Mom did not have time to fit in the semi-annual haircut. So after we moved in and were about to go on vacation, she broke out the scissors and the clippers. She sheared my brothers like sheep with high and tight matching crew cuts.

If you remember in a previous blog I mentioned I was a descendant of an Irish Sea Captain. I have the fair skin to prove it...oh...and so do my brothers. On the first day of vacation we slapped on the sunscreen but somehow no one thought to really slather my brothers ears that were newly exposed from their summer do's. By the end of the day the tops of their ears where blistered adding to the haircut trauma of my family.

The truth of the matter I did not know what to expect heading into last night's game with the LA Kings. The Shark's met a incredibly sharp and savvy King's team earlier in the season and one that really improved during the off-season with the signing of Ryan Smythe. Anze Kopitar and Smythe have really connected for some exciting offense and they have the number's to prove it. Heading into last night's game they are currently ranked 1st and 9th in the NHL in points.

Did I mention the Kings also had a four game win streak on the line and were leading San Jose by a point in the standings of the Pacific Division?

On the other hand San Jose has had their fair share of challenges and are still in the process of finding their game. Lacking Mitchell and Pavelski and lately Setoguchi and Vesce from their lineup due to injury, the Sharks somehow managed a successful 4-2 campaign on their East Coast road trip. More surprising was their last game (third game in four nights) against Philadelphia where they limited the Flyers to one goal completely shutting down their top lines. All these numbers and info lead me to think this is a bad haircut waiting to happen.

In the first period the Sharks were once again slow out of the starting gate. The Kings really dictated the pace of the game and out shot San Jose 13-5. Throughout the period the puck sliced across the ice mimicking the eerie sound of scissors. Only four penalties were called the entire night and all within the first period. Neither team could capitalize on the power play so give credit to goalies Evgeni Nabokov and Jonathan Quick for a job well done.

Half way through the second the Kings Alexander Frolov received credit for a wrap around goal that tipped off the stick of Sharks defenseman, Marc Edouard-Vlasic. Six minutes Marleau was dashing down the left side, the Kings Matt Greene (D) attempted to turn for a better defensive angle and before he was through, Marleau was long gone. “Patty’s got a third, fourth and fifth gear,” said McLellan. “He’s like a Corvette.”

After an uneventful third period and overtime it all came down to the shootout which went as follows:

Patrick Marleau SJS Miss

Michal Handzus LAK Goal

Dan Boyle SJS Save

Jack Johnson LAK Miss

Dany Heatley SJS Goal

Anze Kopitar LAK Miss

Benn Ferriero SJS Save

Wayne Simmonds LAK Save

Joe Thornton SJS Save

Dustin Brown LAK Miss

Ryane Clowe SJS Goal

Jarret Stoll LAK Save

It was a bold move on Todd McClellan's part to put the struggling winger, Ryane Clowe into the shootout. Sport's history has shown, it is in these moments were a broken man will met their greatest challenge and triumph. Who doesn't love a story like that?

Let's not forget to thank Nabby for his almost perfect game. More importantly give the whole team kudos for turning those uneven bangs into something equally worthy of winning Shear Genius.

Getting Lost in Fog

One day I was browsing around the local bookstore and I stumbled upon a gem of a book "First You Have to Row a Little Boat" by Richard Bode. I'm a firm believer in fate and I stil don't know why that book caught my eye and I took it home. You see unlike Bode, I am not a sailor even though I am the decedent of an Irish Sea Captain. My high seas adventures amount to every couple of years taking my aunt on a cruise ship filled with hundreds of gold lame sneaker wearing ladies. I didn't have a childhood growing up on Long Island Sound but instead I was 3,000 miles away in the Wine Country of California.

Throughout the next couple of weeks I would randomly pick up the book and read a chapter. They were short chapters taking 15-20 minutes to complete. In each chapter he uses the lessons learned in sailing as a metaphor for the ebb and flow of his personal life. One of my favorite chapters is "Fogbound", where he describes a perfect lazy day of sailing on the sound. Not being as diligent as perhaps a sailor should, he finds that the fog has rolled in and thus impairs his ability to navigate back home. After a while of fighting the the fog, current and the boat, Bode finally relaxes his hand on the tiller and waits quietly for "the one constant in the swirling mist that would set me on my rightful course".

Lately much has been said about Ryane Clowe's lack of offense and scoring in the Shark's first 12 games of the season especially when you come off of a solid 2008-2009 campaign with 22 goals and 30 assists and are rewarded with a new 4-year contract. Bode stresses the importance of mastering the little things before moving on to more complex matters like sailing. In hockey you often hear the term "little things" a lot but there is age old wisdom behind those words. Scoring is not the only aspect to players game. Focus on other ways to help your team each night with your forecheck and defensive support. Bode also stresses the important things in life are significant and slow like spaghetti sauce and finding your wrist shot.

Maybe it's time to loosen your hand on the tiller and let the boat guide you home.

Spaghetti Sauce

I love cooking so tonight I made a big old pot of spaghetti for dinner. Ever since I was young I remember spending a lot of time at my mother's elbow when she was in the kitchen cooking. I was fascinated with the all of the details that went into making something taste so good.

I remember one time when I was in the fourth grade, my mom had taken my brother to the doctor for a regular appointment. I loved having the house to myself and I always headed straight for the stereo and dug into their great album collection. Crank it up, sing, dance, who cares no one was watching. That afternoon during my rollin' on the river duet with Tina Turner the phone rang. Mom was running late and asked me to go ahead and start dinner, spaghetti was on the menu. I had seen my mom make spaghetti hundreds of times but I was scared and thoroughly convinced that my family would starve if I messed it up.

Somehow I got the hamburger browned, onion chopped, and opened a couple of cans of tomato sauce. Still having all my fingers, I had a great base going. Then I moved the chair over to the spice cabinet. This was the tricky part. Outside of garlic powder, I could not remember any of those foreign and exotic names of the herbs and spices my mother used to flavor the sauce.

What's a girl to do?

Well I started with the bottom shelf and one by one I picked up each container and read the back. If it said tomato or beef in the description it went into the pot. Dinner never tasted better then it did that night.

So tonight while I was watching the Sharks play the Atlanta Thrashers and chomping on my bowl of spaghetti, I thought about the art of cooking. Not every dish needs to start off with a bang but when the Thrasher's RW Maxim Afinogenov followed the puck leaving Joe Thornton open for a wrist shot 45 seconds into the first period I must say that it was a delightful surprise. Ryan Vesce and Dany Heatley each record an assist.

Five minutes later Brad Staubitz pinned the Thrashers LW Eric Boulton to the ice. I guess they didn't agree with hooking penalty on Scott Nichol. I hate when the announcers get excited about what they see and you have to wait for the camera to catch up.

Like my spaghetti sauce, Master Chef, Todd McClellan would have to do some mixing and matching the rest of the game when Devin Setoguchi left the game with the vague and mysterious lower body injury.

Some recipe's have staple ingredients and it's almost inevitable when you play your former team you are almost guaranteed a goal. Dan Boyle did so on Thursday night against the Lightening, so it was almost a given that Heatly would chip in one tonight this time on a power play (Patrick Marleau and Manny Malhotra assisted).

The second period started off almost as well as the first when Boyle jumped up into play and delivered a nice pass to Marleau 15 feet out to the right of the net. Paddy nicely tucked it up into the top left corner of the net. Two good things to note on that play...the defense was more involved and Ryane Clowe scored his first point of the season with the second assist.

Three minutes later Atlanta's Todd White C finds himself all alone and pummels a slap shot past Evgeni Nabokov's stick side. The Shark's had two power play opportunities where they failed to capitalize. Marleau picks up his second goal and third point of the night when a funny bounce of the puck finds the back of the net putting the Sharks up 4-1.  Rich Peverley cut the deficit to two goals before the intermission with his fifth goal of the season. Nik Antropov recorded an assist for the second straight game and defenseman Ron Hainsey earned his first assist of the season.

The third period started of just like the first two. This time it was Atlanta lighting the lamp when rookie forward Evander Kane brought the Thrashers to within one goal just 40 seconds into the third period. Afinogenov logged his fourth assist of the year and defenseman Pavel Kubina reaped his fifth assist of the season on Kane’s goal.

Although no penalties were called in the third, Atlanta kept turning up the heat in the kitchen. The Shark's looked awkward and frantic but the timer went off none to soon and their sixth win of the season was recorded.

The best cooking advice my mom ever gave me...you can't make anything cook faster or you'll ruin the recipe.

I guess I will just have to be patient with the Sharks and let the pot simmer.

Bridesmaid Let Down

So your best friend is getting married and you've been asked to be her maid of honor. Wow! After a moment of basking in here newly engaged glow, you suddenly realize that there is a lot of work to do between now and the big day. Yikes! No worries, there are other bridesmaids that will be there along the way to pitch in...right? The reality...not so much.

I look at tonight's Shark's 5-2 loss against the Tampa Bay Lightening as an ultimate bridesmaid letdown.

Tonight's Maid of Honor is none other than Dan Boyle, returning to play his former team. I’m sure that Boyle would have liked to have flashed the new rock on his hand at his ex, but last year’s early exit from the play-offs didn’t give him that satisfaction.

With the Shark’s coming off of a dominating win against the NY Rangers (the Rangers had an impressive 7 game win streak on the line), you would think tonight’s game a piece of cake for the Sharks.

Boyle certainly didn't make it easy on himself when 30 seconds into the first period he gets caught flat footed at the blue line and allows James Wright to blow right past him (without being touched) and tap in the puck for his first NHL goal.

Throughout the rest of the period the Sharks looked like they had been lulled to sleep by the sound of the soft waves slapping along St. Pete's Beach. Tampa tallied another goal late into the first period. I'm thinking I don't want to be in that locker room during the intermission.

I had hoped that the Sharks would show up in the second like Bridezilla. To my frustration the Sharks took over 12 minutes into the second to finally get on the board with a goal from Ryan Vesce, his third in as so many games. What a disappointment when shortly thereafter Steven Stamkos wrists one between Evgeni Nabokov's legs. I'll never understand how Nabokov can make some of the most stunning saves and then consistently let the one on one shots get past him. So Nabby does it again in the third. The Bolts D-man, Andrej Meszaros puts a wrist shot from the blue line right by Nabby's glove hand.

The Sharks did score in the third on a power play goal by Boyle and Joe Thorton recorded another assist. Give kudos to Devin Setoguchi for going to net and standing his ground thus providing a screen for Boyle's shot. In the last two years Seto's really grown up and this could be a break out year for him.

The icing on the cake was Thornton's picked pass that missed Dany Heatly and allowed Stampkos his second tally of the night with the empty net.

The lackluster play of the Shark’s appears to be like the bridesmaid that show up late to the dress fitting or forgets to pick up the cake for the bridal shower.

The good news is that your bride has a great wedding planner in San Jose Shark's GM Doug Wilson, who set the tenth game of the season as an evaluation point for the team. Could there be some changes in the wedding party? It will be an interesting couple of days.

Beginnings...Coming Soon!