Silver Anniversary

No one seems to be making a big deal about the fact that this season marks a special 25th Anniversary. In nineteen hundred and eighty four a young French Canadian player began his first season in the NHL with the then struggling Pittsburgh Penguins. It wasn't like no one noticed him show up. His arrival was the one thing that kept the franchise going. It allowed the management to corral and draft some special players to put around this young phenom, and just by donning the uniform he began to fill their nearly empty bank accounts. Then when the team was beginning to slide yet again, he allowed them to defer part of his hefty salary so that other players could be paid. After his retirement he used that deferment to purchase the franchise and drag it out of bankruptcy. Then donning the Flightless Bird yet again when that wasn't enough. Bringing in young superstars to build the team and even threatening to move it to get a bigger new arena to pay for them. (if you're counting, by my estimation that's 6 times he saved the team) Add to the fact that he didn't have to stay here at all. As a player he could have went to any team and been accepted with open arms and bank accounts. After retiring.... pretty much the same thing. He's been the linchpin of the franchise for two and a half decades. Try to tell someone he's not a native and you'll start an argument. His name (of course) is Mario Lemieux, also known as Le Magnifique, Super Mario, or just Boss.

No one seems to be making a big deal over it, but since the 25th Anniversary is the Silver Anniversary the guys went out and got him a Big Shiny Jello Mold, even though he'd already had the same gift twice before. (some presents just never go out of style) Well, I don't have any Big Shiny Jello Molds (I only have a small one holding my Stanley Cup Champion puck) so I'll just have to say Thank You, Mr. Lemieux. I can't tell you what your efforts have meant to me.

You Mean That's It?:

The Stanley Cup Journal at HHOF.com has exactly one more picture of Flower with the Cup than PP.com's SCJ article. Folks, I think we just got hosed. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice article with some humorous little anecdotes about Marc-Andre's day with the cup. (the boat story is about the best) but........ c'mon! 2 months I've been waiting to hear about Fleury's day with the cup and steal... uh...... I mean catch some pictures of him and the Big Shiny Jello-Mold, and this is all I get? Nothing against El Capitan, but I had to wade through 6 articles, 3 videos, 73 pictures of Sid's day with the Cup and wait 5 extra days to get to 3 pics and four paragraphs. Pardon me if I'm a bit miffed.

Canadians, Cups, Curries and Comas:

Few things can draw me out of my mid-Summer hibernation, but mention MAF, the Cup or Curry and any one would waken me, let alone all three. NHL.com staff writer Mike G. Morreale was sitting there at his keyboard one day wondering to himself, 'I wonder who I think the 10 best Canadian players are in the League right now?'. Well, himself must have had a pretty good answer (or was really worried about the rent check) because he came up with enough of a list to write a whole article. El Capitan came in #1 on the list (natch) due to his looks, his charm, and pretty much because he's the youngest captain to lead his team to a Dance with Lord Stanley's Shiny Jello-mold. After a couple of old stand-by's like Uncle Daddy (Brodeur) and Jerome Arthur-Leigh Adakunle Tig Junior Elvis Iginla (that's his name, I swear!) your favorite Flower and mine stomped into the #4 spot with his stunning game 6&7 performances. There are some other names you might recognize on that list, but what I thought was more interesting than those also-rans was an 'unofficial' statistic earlier in the article. It's quite possible that he made the whole thing up, but he states that 52.8% of the League is made up of guys from the Great White North. That's a lot of guys dodging Canadian taxes by working in the States, ya know?

Cup Stuff: Stephanie over at the Steel City Sports Fan has a list of who gets the big Shiny Thing on what date. I have no idea where she gets her info, but I'm waaaaaay too lazy to dig this info up on my own and I have the added bonus of having no problem stealing the fruits of other people's labors. Everyone pretty much knows that El Sid is taking de la Coupe Stanley home for his birthday this Friday (8-7, 87, get it?) but what is not so well known is that apparently Marc Andre Fleury is going to have it in Sorrel-Tracy the day before. Hopefully this makes it to the Stanley Cup Journal and then I can steal the pics and story from them and post it here.

Curry anyone?: John Curry, Baby Pens star, hopeful Flower back-up, and Puck Huffer bedroom fantasy guy has been signed to a 2 year contract. The official word is pretty sparse but PF (in the name of Curry, his Glove, and the Holy Posts) is saying that it's a 2 year, 2 way 1 million dollar contract.

Ok, other than a story about how a schizophrenic bipolar homeless dude passed helpful hints to Super Mario over his fence to help the Pens win the Cup, that's about all I've got for now. Guess I'll slip back into my Hockey-jones Coma again.... Someone be sure to wake me by Oct 2, ok? All this sun is bad for a Rat's complexion.