Saturday, January 26, 2013

My NHL Team: The Elite 8

 
And here... we... go!  A lot of people saw me post this on Facebook because I was requesting even more help in regards to who to root for, so I might as well start off this post with that picture.  My original plan was to go through all 30 teams and just be able to pick one and call it a day.  Welp, things got a lot more complicated after this picture hit the Internet.  I've been swayed back and forth on teams thanks to the likes of the following:
 
Jenn Dice (America) - Alex Martin - Drew Guarino - Chris Wystepek - Kevin Monahan - Lauren Mancuso - AJ Bias - Tim Whittum - Tara Crowley - Jeffery Jefferson Velleca (READ MY BLOG JEFF) - Dan "I have a very difficult last name to pronounce" Desaulniers - Kelly LaBarre - Gary Payne - Kyle McGuire (tons of great points) - Joe Zeitler - Lil Dave - Theo - Sara Manning - Carney - Kat aka a member of the A-Team - Blake O'Brien - Spencer Griffin - Komich - Fontaine (doing SERIOUS work to convince me) - Mitchell Insero (I feel like you dislike the Flyers) - Adam Heidbreder - Connor - Ryan Gillon - Matt Ross - Matt Donofrio - Ferrazzi - Ryan Nellenback - Adrian Kaminski - Mikey D (with a threat to go with!) - GTNTC - Sara Flynn - Dave Miller
 
There are more people that have weighed in on my potential choice, but I just got really tired of typing everyone's name.  Either way, the input is appreciated.  The above bracket was created to have one East versus one West team square off for the chance to be my team, but I've decided to go in another direction.  Instead of an unfair bracket, I'm mixing all the teams up and having a free for all.  One by one I'll be eliminating a team so I might as well start by scratching team #8.
 

The Chicago Blackhawks are the first to go, but they didn't go down without a fight.  I really wanted to keep this team in the running because Chicago seems like a city rich with tradition, but they gotta go! I've heard on ESPN, from Professor Guarino, and countless others that the Blackhawks have the best jerseys in the NHL and even the best in all of professional sports. Let's take a look:
Good, not great in my opinion. I think people really just like that it's a legit Indian face. Not for me, but who am I to judge? Oh wait, I'm the person trying to figure out what team to root for so I get to judge everyone and everything. The more I research teams the more I begin to like them and I really like Corey Crawford in net. After researching the goalies, he is one of my favorite guys left in this search, but unfortunately we need to part ways.
Next on the chopping block is none other than the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Let's call a spade a spade here. The Lightning made my list because lightning is boss. It strikes fear into the hearts of their opponents. But what's lightning without a little bit of thunder? Nothing. I do like Martin St. Louis because he's undersized yet he carves up the ice like a mad man, but the team is from Tampa Bay and whenever I think about Tampa Bay I think about the Bucs from the NFL. At the very core of me I'm an NFL fan. I will never like a team from any sport more than I like the 49ers. With that being said, my very football oriented mind tells me I cannot pull for a team that reminds me of how awful an NFL team is. If the Bucs didn't suck so much I might be inclined to keep them on my list, but those orange Popsicle lookin throwback jerseys make me sick.
Now it's time to crack that 6-pack! I feel like Alex Martin and only Alex Martin will be upset about this, but I just can't keep em on the list. Love me some Joe Thornton (he's actually one of the few players I actually remembered before researching different teams and players), but I don't think Joe Thornton alone can sway my decision. I really do like the Sharks logo though:
I mean look at that logo!!! This might be my favorite logo for any hockey team. It screams ferocity, aggression, and murder. At the same time, it reminds me of Jaws and I watched that at a very young age which somewhat traumatized me for the rest of my life. I can never go to the beach without thinking about a giant shark coming out of no where and eating everyone in the water. Eventually I shake those thoughts off and go in the water, but watch out!
The last team on the outside of my Final Four looking in is none other than my former champs, the Anaheim Ducks.
If the Ducks were still MIGHTY then I might not need to have this search, but Disney decided to make the change a while back and so did I. And while I'm talking about the Mighty Ducks, does anyone remember the cartoon show?
CLASSIC SHOW. Remember when he put that gold hockey mask on and things got real? Loved it. And going with that, the whole reason why I liked hockey at all growing up was because of those fantastic movies. I don't think anyone can reference the Mighty Ducks without saying Gordon Bombay. Love all those characters and love all those movies, but that was years ago. I need to back a team not based on a movie or a cartoon show. I need a team that I can get excited about, a team that can fight, a team that can score, and a team that I can truly identify with and root for.
I'm down to four teams, so I'll soon be rooting HARD for either the Flyers, Bruins, Blues, or Rangers! I can't wait to take my talents somewhere!!

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