Why Tomas Vokoun Should Start Game 3 For the Penguins

After a 6-1 loss in game two, in which neither Tomas Vokoun nor Marc-Andre Fleury could stop a beach ball, the Pittsburgh Penguins are at a crossroads with what to do with their goaltenders. Do they go back to Marc-Andre Fleury who has won them a Stanley Cup but is showing more recently that he can’t handle the playoff pressure or continue down the road with the veteran Tomas Vokoun?

The goaltending decision ahead of game three is the biggest decision of Dan Bylsma’s coaching career. If he chooses the wrong guy, the Penguins’ hopes of lifting another Stanley Cup will end at the Conference Finals.

Going into the Conference finals, no one expected this series to be high scoring. Sure the Penguins have superstars that when they’re on can make any goalie look like a house league call-up, but they were facing the hard-hitting, physical Boston Bruins who have a stellar goalie in Tuukka Rask between the pipes. And oh yeah, Rask is playing for a new, multi-year contract.

Remember last time the Penguins faced a physical team in the playoffs? They were eliminated in the first round because they got coaxed into the physical play. After game one it appeared that would be the case again.

Heading into this series all questions surrounded the goalies. Would the Penguins continue with Tomas Vokoun and would he be good enough to lead them to a Stanley Cup? Would Tuukka Rask be able to withstand the Penguins offence?

With 9 goals in the first two games, it’s clear the Penguins goaltending isn’t getting the job done. While all the blame isn’t just on Vokoun or Fleury as the whole Penguins team needs to be better, the Penguins also need a goaltender in net who is going to come up with a big save to keep them in the game.

While it wont be an easy decision naming a starter for game three, considering neither goalie stopped anything in game 2, the Penguins need to keep going with Tomas Vokoun.

The time to put Fleury back between the pipes has long passed; this is Tomas Vokoun’s Penguin team right now. Not saying the Penguins will go forward with the 36 year-old veteran next season, but this is turning into a similar situation that the Canadiens went through in 2009 with Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak.

This is the second straight post-season where Fleury has faltered, he arguably played himself out of the starters role and Bylsma chose to run with Vokoun. It’s too late for Bylsma to run back and catch the Fleury bus while he’s riding full speed ahead on the Vokoun train.

The time to put Fleury back between the pipes was immediately after he was pulled in round 1 or the beginning of round two, not when you’re down two games in the Conference Finals. The Penguins have asked Tomas Vokoun to step up and carry the Penguins; he’s done that and now deserves a chance to get the Penguins out of this hole. If not for Tomas Vokoun the Penguins would have been eliminated in round 1.

Going back to the fragile Fleury for game three would be a major mistake. It doesn’t matter how good he’s looked in practice while riding the bench; that’s practice, against his own teammates, not a playoff game against the Boston Bruins. Fleury has proved he doesn’t have what it takes to perform in the playoffs lately. The Penguins need to go with the goalie that gives them the best shot at winning and that goalie is Tomas Vokoun.

There’s no question the Penguins offence needs to step it up in game three. Just three goals through the first two games with all the star power they have is inexcusable. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal all need to be better, they’re counted on to lead the Penguins and right now they’re not doing that. For whatever reason Crosby isn’t living up to the “C” on his chest and the Penguins are lacking some serious leadership.

While the offence needs to pick up the slack, the goalies need to make key saves. Throwing Marc-Andre Fleury into game three reeks of desperation, Tomas Vokoun has been fine since he took over, he had a rough game but so did the rest of the team. If you’re going to replace Tomas Vokoun with Fleury in game three you may as well put Matt Cooke on the first line instead of Sidney Crosby because Crosby had a rough game.

The Penguins have made their bed with Tomas Vokoun, now it’s time for them to lie in it.

Just How Important is Goaltending in the Playoffs

Now that we're down to the final four, it's time to start taking a look at the  masked men between the pipes. They're only players on the ice for a full 60 minutes and the ones who continually jump in front of flying rubber missiles but when things go wrong they receive all the blame. Being a goaltender is a tireless and thankless job, you're either the hero or the goat. So far in these playoffs we've seen our fair share of goats and hero's between the pipes.

Regular season success has absolutely no baring on the postseason. Just ask the Chicago Blackhawks who found themselves trailing the Detroit Red Wings 3 games to 1 in their Western Conference Semi Final. In the same sense goaltending in the regular season is a completely different ball game than goaltending in the playoffs. Just ask Marc-Andre Fleury who is growing roots on the bench in Pittsburgh.

The pressure on a goaltender in the playoffs is surreal. One wrong move, react half a second to late, lose the puck in a scramble, allowing a goal that zaps your teams momentum and you're getting boo'd off the ice. Mix all those worries with; rebound control, defencive errors and some insanely talented forwards and you have everything that's going on inside the mind of a goalie. There's so much to think about and roughly a 10th of a second to react.

No matter how many goals a team scores or how skilled that team may be, without a solid goalie that team will not succeed. Goaltending is key for a long playoff run and for any team who's mission is the Stanley Cup

It's been a roller coaster ride for goalies throughout these playoffs. Jonathan Quick went from being the goat in game one to statistically being the best goalie through 2 rounds. Then you have a goalie like Tuukka Rask who's really showing he belongs and has been making people forget Tim Thomas. But then Rask wipes-out giving the Rangers an easy goal and unfortunately costs his team the game, which turns Rask into the goat.

Goaltending can help solidify a teams chances at a Stanley Cup or be the flat tire on that road. Sometimes all a team needs is to change it's goalie. We're going to look at the goalies who are making a positive impact on their team and some other goalies who are holding them back these playoffs.

Jimmy Howard

If the Detroit Red Wings built Howard a statue it wouldn't be enough to thank him for his efforts between the pipes this season. Coming into the postseason as a 7th seed and upsetting the number 2 seed and nearly upsetting the number one seed. Howard has outdueled both Jonas Hiller and Corey Crawford and as a result the Wings have been winning. Howard went 7-7-2 through the first two rounds and ranked 3rd with a GAA of 2.22 amongst goalies who had played 11 games.

Upon taking a 3-1 stranglehold on the Blackhawks, Howard and the Red Wings had won 5 of their last 6 games and the goaltender had them at the doorstep of a Conference Final birth. Unfortunately defeating the Blackhawks is a lot easier said then done and they came back from their 3-1 deficit to beat the Wings in 7 games. Despite the second round elimination, Jimmy Howard came up big for the Wings.

Jonathan Quick

In all honesty has there been a better, more clutch goalie through the playoffs? When you look at the statistics the answer is no. Howard is 8-5-2 through the playoffs sporting a 1.50 GAA and a .948 Save Percentage. And oh by the way he also has 3 shutouts. This may only be Jonathan Quick's second season leading a team in the playoffs but he's quickly turning into a clutch playoff goalie.

The way the Western Conference Finals have shaped up, we'll see proven playoff goalie Jonathan Quick square off against Corey Crawford who has yet to prove himself in the playoffs. Which goalie will elevate their team to the Finals?

Henrik Lundqvist

It's hard to watch the New York Rangers and not feel bad for Henrik Lundqvist. He is such a skilled goaltender but his team can't do anything to help him win. Makes one wonder if the Rangers are wasting the best years of the "kings" career. Despite his team virtually not showing up through the playoffs, Lundqvist has continually come up big time after time. When the Rangers needed him most in round 1 he stepped up posting back to back shutouts in games 6 and 7.

With his team down 3 games to the Boston Bruins, Lundqvist came out ready to play in game 4 and made 37 stops to help his team get their first win of the series. While Lundqvist stood tall the Bruins proved to be too much for the Rangers as the King was eliminated in game 5. With the lack of success in New York will Lundqvist stay there?

Tomas Vokoun

If not for Tomas Vokoun coming off the bench and stepping up after Fleury's meltdown, the Pittsburgh Penguins would probably be at home instead of the Eastern Finals. Vokoun has been shinning between the pipes and helped the Penguins focus on what they're good at; scoring goals.

No one knows if the Penguins will put Fleury back in again but with the way Vokoun has been playing, it would be tough to pull him. This may be Vokoun's Stanley Cup run from now on.

Tuukka Rask

It's hard to criticize a goalie who's won 8 games but watching these playoffs I haven't been impressed by Tuukka Rask. The only reason he has these wins is because his team has bailed him out time after time. In game 7 of the first round against the Leafs, he allows 4 goals and his team ends up down 4-1. Since the Bruins came back no one showed to much concern but his play in the first round was alarming. He wasn't stellar and didn't look much better than James Reimer.

Rask has just 1 playoff run under his belt and it didn't go very well. He's fairly in-experienced, this is his year to show that he can carry the team and perform in the playoffs. Despite his 8 wins he's posting a rough 2.22 GAA and a .928 Save Percentage, not fantastic numbers. He's getting by because his team is scoring. When the Bruins had a chance to close out the series in New York, Tuukka didn't bother to show up. He'll need to stay on-top of his game in order for the Bruins to make it to the Finals, especially if he comes up against the Penguins. If you don't agree name 1 game Rask has "stolen" for the Bruins, these playoffs.

Craig Anderson

Craig Anderson is another goalie who is hard to criticize. He's been the backbone of the Senators team and dominated in the first round. But in the second round he just hasn't been good enough. It's tough for any goalie to stop the likes of Sidney Crosby, James Neal, Evgeni Malkin and Jarome Iginla, but Anderson needed to find a way to stop the Penguins offence.

Anderson ranks last with 5 wins and a 3.01 GAA amongst all goalies who have gone 2 rounds. The Senators weren't able to get the goaltending they need to take down the Penguins.

Corey Crawford

Want to know the one reason the Chicago Blackhawks wont win the cup? Their goaltending. Splitting the season with Ray Emery really benefited Corey Crawford. Now that Crawford has been relied on to play on his own and steal some games for the Blackhawks, he hasn't been able to. With the kind of slump the Blackhawks are in they needed their goalie to steal a game or two for them and Crawford has failed to do that.

The Blackhawks want Crawford to be their goalie of the future but if he continues to bomb in the playoffs that future may be over in a hurry. It may be time for the Hawks to allow Crawford to learn during the playoffs, much like the Bruins did with Rask.

A goalie either becomes a hero or a goat in the playoffs, there's no room for average goaltending. The goaltenders who are turning heads and coming up big for their teams will be the ones who go far, while the others will fall into the shadows.

Has Raffi Torres Put the Final Nail in his NHL Career?

With the NHL changing the rules to cut down on head-shots and concussions, players who like to make big impact hits had to redefine their game or get left behind. Players like Matt Cooke, Dan Carcillo and Steve Downie have all had to change the way they play to stay on the right side of the law. But one player who hasn't been able to adjust his game successfully is Raffi Torres.

From his hit on Jordan Eberle in 2011 to his hit on Marian Hossa in last years playoffs, Raffi Torres just can't seem to figure out a way to play within the "rules". There is a fine line that a player like Torres must toe, but he continually crosses that line. Torres is the type of player who can't find a permanent home, he's bounced around between 6 different NHL teams. His job is to bring something to each team he plays for to convince them to keep him and thats usually physicality. But Torres keeps crossing the line and after his last hit on Tuesday night in the second round of the playoffs, it may be time for teams to start crossing him off their team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ei5UkHL0oNM

We'll start with his latest hit of Jarret Stoll. Was it a dirty hit or a head hit? It was not a dirty hit but rather an illegal hit, the principal point of contact appears to be the head. The tough thing about this hit is that Stoll leaned forward to get the puck and by that point it was virtually to late for Torres to stop. Had this been a player not named Raffi Torres, they probably get a phone hearing and 1 or 2 games max. Since this hit involves the controversial Raffi Torres, an in-person hearing is called and there's a lengthy suspension.

What's really startling about Torres is his MO. He seems to be aiming to take star players out of the game and that's exactly what the NHL is trying to get rid of. He hits Jordan Eberle one of the Edmonton Oilers best young players, Marian Hossa a key member of the Chicago Blackhawks offence and Jarret Stoll another key player on a Stanley Cup contending team.

Big hit's with unfortunate outcomes happen in the NHL, look at the Eric Gryba hit, but continually going after key players is something the NHL can't continue to allow.

When you look at the Stoll hit it's a really grey area that the NHL needs to make clear. Torres doesn't extend his elbow or leave his feet, but he did finish his check on an angle that targeted Stoll's head on the play. Basically what the NHL is saying is Torres took a "bad route" to finish his check, as he skated east-west. Torres also hits upwards into Stoll's body forcing his head backwards instead of hitting through Stoll. Had this been anyone else, I think they get the benefit of the doubt with this hit, but it's not it's the infamous Raffi Torres.

The consensus online is that Torres shouldn't be suspended for this hit and that the only reason this is such a big deal is because of Torres' history. A team can no longer get the benefit of the doubt when Torres hits somebody, anytime anything is borderline with this guy you know Brendan Shanahan will be calling. Which is why teams are going to start to give up on him. No team wants a player that can't get away with anything, he's become a liability on the ice.

Whether people like it or not and despite his best efforts, Raffi Torres is a dirty hockey player. The book is out on him, he likes to take star or impact players out of the line-up. If a 25 game suspension in last years playoffs didn't deliver the message clear enough to Raffi Torres what's it going to take?

With the 6 game suspension, could this be the final hit of his career? Raffi Torres will be an un-restricted free agent this coming offseason and if the San Jose Sharks don't resign him, where does he go? While his hit on Stoll wasn't malicious, it was a dangerous play and it may cost him a lot more than 6 games.

Also be sure to check out my Gillette Drafted Audition

What We Learned From the First Round of NHL Playoffs

The first round of the 2013 NHL playoffs is in the books. For the Ottawa Senators, San Jose Sharks, Chicago Blackhawks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings, Detroit Red Wings, New York Rangers and Boston Bruins the dream is still alive as they advance to the second round. But for the teams that fell just short, it's going to be a long offseason and for some the first round will have left a bitter taste.

The first 4 wins are in the books, now it's just the final 12. So what did we learn and what can we take away from the first round of the 2013 NHL playoffs?

• The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't as good as everyone thought.

This was supposed to be the Penguins year. A healthy Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin combined with James Neal and the addition of Jarome Iginla. The Penguins made a statement, their goal in the playoffs is nothing short of the Stanley Cup. While they still have a shot at that goal, some weaknesses have been exposed in their team and the road is only going to get tougher. Until the Penguins figure out their goaltending issues, they wont be able to lay claim to the Stanley Cup. Looks like Pittsburgh isn't the big power-house everyone believed.

• 8th seed don't care

Remember when Brian Burke was the GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs and he said he didn't want to just squeak into the playoffs in 8th only to be clobbered in the first round, then the LA Kings went on to win the Stanley Cup from the 8th seed? In the first round, especially in the East, what seed you finished didn't mean much. Look at the Islanders giving the Penguins all they could handle, The Senators as the 7th seed upsetting the 2nd seeded Canadiens and the Detroit Red Wings following along the Senators path by upsetting the Ducks.
Once you make the playoffs it's a whole new ballgame, throw out the regular season as it means nothing. In a best of 7 series, anything can happen- it all depends what team shows up.

• Never underestimate your opponent

After the Bruins closed out their series with the Leafs in game 7, Milan Lucic admitted that the Bruins kind of underestimated the Leafs.

"I think after Game 4 we did. I don’t think once the series started we underestimated them. That’s why we had a 3-1 lead after four games, but after that it just seemed like it was almost like a bit of we did underestimate them a bit and when it felt like we deflated them in that Game 4 overtime goal that wasn’t the case at all."

Underestimating the Leafs almost cost the Bruins the series as the Leafs showed no quit and a lot of heart, battling back from a 3-1 series deficit.

• Goaltending is kind of important

You can pretty much say every team that was eliminated in round one, didn't get the type of goaltending they needed. Look at the New York Rangers, when they needed a big game Henrik Lundqvist stepped up. In fact "the King" stepped up with shutouts in both game 6 and 7.  Look at the at the Canadiens and Canucks, both teams didn't get the goaltending they needed and as a result they're out. Goaltending nearly cost the Pittsburgh Penguins in their first round series but instead it cost the Islanders. Had the Islanders had someone other than Evgeni Nabokov between the pipes, they may very well have upset the Penguins.

• Despite no experience and having the odds against, the Leafs actually played pretty solid playoff hockey

Yes, everyone in Toronto is disappointed and so are the players, after coming within 11 minutes of moving on to the 2nd round, but they really shouldn't be. This series for Toronto was a win-win. They gained valuable playoff experience and now know what it takes to win in the playoffs. The Leafs did far better than anyone expected and nearly pulled off the unthinkable, that is a huge plus for the Leafs and will only help them going forward.

• Maybe Alex Ovechkin Really Can't play in the playoffs

Sigh, yes another disappointing first round exit for Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. I really thought they would advance this year and Ovechkin would finally find the playoff success that has eluded him, but sadly that was not the case. Ovechkin was held scoreless for the last 5 games of the series and most importantly in game 7 when his team needed him the most. Ovechkin scored just 1 goal and added 1 assist, a far cry from his dominance during the regular season. It's been 9 seasons since Ovechkin joined the Capitals and they've failed advance past the 2nd round in any year.

Interesting stats

• The Kings and Blues played in the closest series. The teams spent 98.8 either tied or within 1 goal of the other. Through 6 games there was only a 5 minute span where the was a 2 goal cushion. Talk about some close, nail-bitting hockey.


• Carey Price is 4-11 in his last 4 playoff appearances and hasn't made it out of the first round.


• How close were the first round match-ups? Well a staggering 17 games needed extra time to decide a winner, which breaks the previous record of 16 in just one round.


• Remarkable all 6 "original 6" NHL teams made it into the playoffs and 4 of them are still alive.

Round two begins tonight. Get ready for even more exciting hockey as teams look to add 4 more wins on route to the Stanley Cup.

Also check out my audition for Gillette Drafted --> http://apps.facebook.com/pg-drafted?app_data=audition%28301%29

Why the Ottawa Senators Will Beat the Pittsburgh Penguins

On paper you see the 7th place Ottawa Senators squaring off against the 1st place Pittsburgh Penguins, and you feel sorry for the slaughter the Senators are going to go through. But the best part about the NHL playoffs is what's written on paper doesn't matter once you hit the ice. Just ask the Penguins how their easy round one with the 8th place New York Islanders panned out.

The Senators are not your typical 7th seeded playoff team. When you look at the final Eastern Conference playoff standings just 2 points separated 8th from 5th. The Senators were one win shy of 5th place and a match with the Boston Bruins and just one point up on 8th and a first round match with the Penguins. Since the East was so close and the Sens were just one point out of 5th you have to treat the Senators like a 5th seeded team.

After a hard-fought series with the Islanders, the Penguins must be ready for another hard-fought series with the Sens. The Sens are a very young and skilled team. They don't just rely on one guy to get the job done, it's a combined effort from everyone. The Senators easily dispatched of the number 2 ranked Montreal Canadiens by forcing them back on their heels and getting them off their game. If the Sens can do that again, it could be another long series for Crosby and the Pens, one that could see them eliminated.

While the Senators are nothing like the Philadelphia Flyers or Boston Bruins when it comes to physical play, the playoffs require every team to raise their level of physicality and the Sens have done that. Remember the big hit Eric Gryba laid on Lars Eller? Or game 3 when both teams barely had enough players to ice 2 lines after a line brawl?

The Senators, a much tougher team, baited the Canadiens into a physical battle. If the Sens manage to draw the Pens into that physical battle and force them off their game plan, it'll be lights out for the Pens who will be wondering what hit them.

The Ottawa Senators are also not the same team as they were 3 months ago. Erik Karlsson is back in the line-up and is beginning to look like the Norris winning defencemen he was a year-ago, Craig Anderson is back between the pipes and has been lights out posting a .950 Save Percentage and the Sens could be getting another boost should Jason Spezza return to the line-up.

The Senators are a young team that has been relying on the youthfulness of Erik Karlsson, Mika Zibanejad, Cory Conacher, Kyle Turris and Jean-Gabriel Pageau to lead the team. While the Pens rely on the skill of Sidney Crosby, James Neal and Evgeni Malkin to lead the way. The Penguins are a much older team than the Sens and use their veteran leadership and depth throughout the line-up to their advantage. But their age truly showed in round one against the Islanders. They were slow and lost battles for loose pucks all series, the Sens should be able to exploit that with their younger quicker players.

The two things that make the Senators a very scary threat in the East is their goaltending and defence.

The Penguins got lucky having to face a weak goalie in Evgeni Nabokov who allowed them to keep pace with the goals the Islanders were scoring. The Senators have one of the best netminders in the league in Craig Anderson. If the Penguins go back to Marc-Andre Fleury and he falters early on, the Sens will jump all over it and Anderson will shut the door.

Anderson is boasting a 1.80 Goals Against Average and a .950 Save Percentage while only allowing 9 goals throughout the first 5 games of the playoffs. The Sens don't let a lot of goals in, the Pens will need to score 1 or 2 garbage goals and then rely on their goaltending to squeak out close games in this series.

Then there's the whole matter of defence, before you even get to the brick wall that is Anderson. Their defence was the 2nd best in the NHL during the regular season allowing just 2.08 goals a game. Their penalty kill was the best ranked in the league killing off an outstanding 88% of their penalties. Plus they have one of the best defenceman in the NHL back on their blue-line with Karlsson who isn't afraid to rush the puck and pick up the slack by netting some goals himself.

The second round match-up between the Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins is going to be a tough series and perhaps one of the closest in the playoffs. All the pressure will be riding on the Penguins a role reversal from 2007, the last time the Senators beat the Penguins in the playoffs. The Penguins are the team that everyone was and is expecting to challenge for the Stanley Cup and the Senators are just a speed block on that journey. The Senators have nothing to lose in this series, they've already come farther than most expected and have shown just how good a team they have.

After their tough series win over the Islanders the Penguins are a team that is down on the matt and now is the perfect time for the Sens to jump quickly and kick them while they're down. The Senators may be the Penguins toughest opponents in this years playoffs, the question becomes can they survive two series' where the underdog teams give them all they can handle?

At the end of the day this series is likely going to come down to goaltending. The Senators have no issues with Anderson and know he can get the job done. The Penguins have a number one goalie who can't stop a beach ball and is rattled, while their back-up is capable. Do the Penguins let Tomas Vokoun have a shot or do they go back to Fleury? Whoever the Penguins choose to go with will have to come up big in this series.

With Craig Anderson leading the way, the Ottawa Senators have all the tools to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins. In fact the Senators pose a very real Stanley Cup threat, not bad for a team who was decimated with injuries in March.

Hockey Moms

Since today is Mothers Day I’ve decided to write a post thanking all hockey moms and dedicate it to my mother Pat Campbell.

Mothers are our biggest fans, best supporters and loudest cheerleaders. They want nothing more than to see their child succeed in their sport and life. They put their own hopes and dreams on hold so that their little athletes can chase theirs. When things go right they're the first ones to celebrate and when things go wrong they're the first ones to comfort and wipe the tears away. They dedicate their entire lives to a sport, they are more than just moms- they are the infamous hockey moms.

They come to every hockey game and no one can out-cheer them. When you score or make a big save they swell up with pride. They hold their breath when you get hit and yell at your opponent. They're there for you when you don't make the team and ready to console after a 5-0 loss. They know the words to say before a game and when to be quiet when no words are needed.

Hockey moms everywhere have played a key role in their hockey players development. From house league to the NHL, it all started because of a willing hockey mom. Thank you! Here's just a little peek into the life of a hockey mom.

• To all the moms who understood the passion that their children had and allowed them to pursue what they loved, without any question. Thank you.


• To all the moms who woke up and drove their kids to hockey practice at 7 in the morning. Thank you.


• To all the moms who put off buying what they wanted to help buy hockey equipment. Thank you.


• To the moms who became accustomed to the long road trips, living out of the car and staying in hotels on a weekly basis. Thank you.


• To the moms who were cool with hockey tournaments over Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and March Break. Thank you.


• To the moms (Especially goalie moms) who couldn't bare to watch the action sitting there peeking through their fingers and holding their breath on every rush. Yelling out where the puck was and to "Watch that player!" like your goalie could hear you. Thank you for putting up with the heart-attacks.


• To the moms who sat in freezing cold hockey arena’s on hard bleachers cheering their kids on to victory. Thank you and the support means more than you could have imagined.


• To all the moms who spent hours traveling from city to city and often knew other cities better than their own.


• To the moms who ran around the arena to the bench to make sure your kid was ok. Thank you and your concern is touching.


• To the moms who put up with all the quirky superstitions and had their own. Thank you.


• To the moms who drove hours so their kid could find a team. Thank you.


• To the moms who sat in emergency rooms, tapped ankles and wrists and went to visit doctor after doctor until you found the right prognosis. Thank you.


• To the moms who educated themselves about a sport they didn't know so they could join in hockey conversations and watch hockey games. Thank you for your effort.


• To the moms who got blisters from tying their young hockey players' skates. Thank you.


• To the moms who ate the horrible arena food and delicious popcorn. Thank you.


• To the moms who turned the car around and went back home when their hockey player forgot a helmet or elbow pad. Thank you.


• To the moms who referred to the rink as their second home. Thank you.


• To all the moms who remember your the first hockey game when you couldn't see over the boards and the jersey didn't fit and the last game where you were big and strong. They wonder where the time went in between. Thank you for watching your little hockey player grow.

Today while driving around to hockey games and practices, remember to take a moment to thank your hockey mom. She gave up more than you can imagine so you could live your dream. Hockey moms are the biggest and craziest fans around, but they just want whats best for you and to see you happy.

Thank you for everything you do hockey moms, your hockey player wouldn't be half the hockey player they are now without your support.

Lastly I'll leave you with a video. Hockey moms just know how important hockey is to you and are willing to help you live your dream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9SerQmK20A