Wednesday, March 30, 2011

It's A Boy!!

THANKS to loyal reader, Adeleine E.., for this hockey newborn tidbit!!!

Kyle Wellwood of the San Jose Sharks and his fiancee, Bianca, welcomed their first son into the world on Monday, March 28th.

CONGRATULATIONS TO KYLE AND BIANCA!!

And MORE baby news ... NY Islanders goalie winger, Michael Grabner, missed tonight's game against the NJ Devils awaiting the birth of his first child with his girlfriend.

Touching Article on Taylor Pyatt's Loss (In His Own Words)

I'm not sure how many of you remember the tragedy that happened around two years ago when Tyler Pyatt lost his fiance in a car accident just four months before their wedding (FOR MORE ON THAT STORY, CLICK HERE), but I just found this really wonderful article at TSN that tells the story from Pyatt's perspective (about a year after the accident).

Since then, Pyatt had a much-needed change in his life when he was traded from the Canucks to the Coyotes and continues the healing process from the tragic loss.

I would highly recommend reading it ... it's more of a human story than it is about hockey, but touching nonetheless.  It's a testiment to human tragedy and triumph (as it relates to this particular hockey player).

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Crosby (and Various Other) Pictures of the Week

"HOT off the presses!"

This was taken this morning ... LOOK AT THAT SMILE (I MISS that smile!)!!  It's good to see it on his face again!


And just because I thought these were delicious ...
(I'm throwing in a BONUS of BJ ... back on the ice this morning!)
Check out those socks!!












And one more thing ...
(a hint of what's to come here on HftL
because I'm falling madly in LOVE with him - a CLOSE 2nd to Sid!)
"Him" being Nealy!!




Monday, March 28, 2011

Eastern Conference Eye Candy: Nathan Gerbe (Buffalo Sabres)


HOCKEY FACTOR:
Nathan Gerbe's hockey story is somewhat similar to that of  Jonathan Eberle (previous WCH) - his start, size, and even his hockey "idol" and role models will all seem quite familiar as you read on. 

Nathan began skating at the age of three on a frozen pond in his back yard and started his "career" a few years later (around the age of six or seven) playing with his first organized team, HoneyBaked (in Michigan).

After playing HoneyBaked for about six years, he had a short stint in junior hockey playing for the Omaha River City Lancers (West Division of the USHL) in 2002-2003 until he moved on to play for the US National (Under 18) team in Ann Arbor with whom he continued to play for through the 2004-2005 season.

Nathan's international play consists of both the U18 and U20 US teams.  He played well at the Five Nations Tournament and was the team's second leading scorer at the 2005 IIHF U18 World Championship.  He was also part of the bronze-medal winning US National U20 team.

Gerbe was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft in the 5th round (142nd overall).  At that time he decided to play for Boston College for three seasons (2005-2006 - 2007-2008) where he had quite a successful hockey career earning himself numerous honors (named to Hockey East Second All-Star Team in 2007; the NCAA Championship All-Tournament Team in 2007, 2008; Hockey East First All-Star Team, NCAA East First All-American Team, NCAA Championship Tournament MVP, and one of 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award all in 2008).  One of his biggest accomplishment was being part of the NCAA Championship in his final season there (2007-2008) although, personally, Gerbe says getting into Boston College to be able to play Division I hockey is his greatest accomplishment.

He began his professional career after college playing for Buffalo's AHL affiliate, the Portland Pirates (2008-2009, 2009-2010) scoring his first professional goal on 10/11/2008.  Prior to having a permanent spot on their NHL roster this season, Gerbe spent parts of 2009-2010 between the Sabres and Pirates.  While playing with the Pirates, he recorded his first professional hat trick and was awarded the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award for rookie of the year for the 2008–09 season.

Nathan is a talented hockey player despite being smaller (5'5, 178 pounds) and models his hockey-playing style after Martin St. Louis as well as Danny Brière.  Although his size may be viewed as an "issue," he definitely makes up for it with his incredible speed and aggressiveness making him "a well-rounded offensive player" according to Hockey's Future webpage.  One of his coaches is credited with giving the best advice Gerbe has ever received and something he lives by even now:

The best advice is to never quit. I'm a small player (5'5"), so size is a huge factor for me. Many people said I couldn't make it because I'm too small, but a lot of people said I could do it. Never quitting is great advice.
He signed his first professional contract with the Buffalo Sabres on May 6, 2008 (three years, $2.55 million).  As a Sabre, Nathan scored his first career NHL goal on 12/09/2009 against the Washington Capitals and recorded his first career NHL playoff point (an assist) in his first NHL career playoff game on 04/26/2010 against Boston.


HOTNESS FACTOR:
Nathan (or "Nate" as he's called by many of his family and friends) is the youngest of six kids born to Joe and Terrie Gerbe.  He grew up in Oxford, MI where he graduated from Huron High School.

Nathan credits his parents with being influential role models:
... They've done everything for me and my five siblings. It's always great to watch them and great to watch how they carry themselves. It carries through the family when you get to watch your parents be role models.
He graduated with a degree in communication from Boston College where he was active in some charity work for the college as well as with the BC hockey team (visiting patients at the Franciscan Hospital for Children, participating in community service events held at the YMCA in Brighton, MA, and helping provide food service at local homeless shelters).
I do a lot of food kitchens for homeless shelters. I also visit area hospitals for the kids. Those are the main ones. I think it's great - a lot of people give you opportunities here at Boston College and you have to be thankful for what you've got. It's nice to be able to give back to the community and help others. A lot of people appreciate it, and it looks good for the school since that's what we're representing.
And one more TINY piece of information about Nathan Gerbe that I'm sure you'll all find just adorable ... according to Sabre Chaser, he was terrified of Santa as a young child (and there's a picture to prove it!! RIGHT)  POOR THING (there's a picture!)!!

Information found in this post obtained from the following sites:
The Official Website of the Atlantic Coast Conference
The Official Athletic Site of the Boston College Eagles
Nathan Gerbe Wikipedia

Thursday, March 24, 2011

HftL's Blog Title Graphic - to Change or Not to Change

Over the past few weeks, I've received a few emails about the blog's title graphic (you know, that yummy one that's at the very top of the blog - the VERY FIRST THING you see everytime you visit the blog!).

It seems that some of you wouldn't mind my changing that.  OF COURSE I know that it was pretty "outdated" shortly after I created it (Whitney has been gone for a while now!), but with the life of the blog it's become sort of a signature.  At least that's the way I see it.  It defines the blog and what it's all about ... when you see it, you think of the blog (our "calling card" ... the FACE of the blog).  In fact, we've had our "15 minutes of fame" with that graphic ... remember our being mentioned on a Dallas radion station who was interviewing Loui Eriksson??!!!  NO??  CLICK HERE for more on that and see the pic below!!! ; )


As much as I've been hesitant to do it, I thought maybe a good thing for me to do would be to pose the question to all of you, HftL's loyal readers, and see what the majority of you feel.  So I've posted a poll at the top-left side of the blog which will be open for a little over a week.  I'll make my decision based on the outcome of the poll.

There's not an option to include comments, but if you feel strongly one way or the other OR if you just want to pass along your thoughts, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME AT thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com (I always welcome and enjoy reading / responding to your emails!)!!

The New Pages are a BIG HIT!!!

I just wanted to write a short post to let all of you know how much I appreciate your taking part in sharing information for the new pages - engagements, weddings / wives, babies / kids - I never imagined they would be as popular as they are and with all of your help, the information you're providing, enthusiasm, and investigation skills, these should be the best and most complete lists of such information on the internet!!

So THANK YOU and keep the information coming (because even though I spend most of my free time on my blogs, there's no way I can find ALL the stuff out there myself!)!!  Your input is MUCH APPRECIATED, ladies!!! ; )

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Former Penguin Player Engaged

THANKS to "wingsfan34" for the link to this scoop!!  I also found out the wedding date is June 18, 2011.  From MLive - Kalamazoo Gazette on 03/19/2011:

CONGRATULATIONS TO ADAM AND DINA!!!

Western Conference Hottie: Andrew Cogliano (Edmonton Oilers)


HOCKEY SENSE
Cogliano was Edmonton's 1st Round Draft Pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (25th overall).  He was the only player in the OPJHL drafted that year.

His junior career consisted of two seasons with the Tier 2 Junior 'A' team, St. Michael's Buzzers, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada (2003-04, 2004-05).  During his first season playing with the Buzzers, he was named "Rookie of the Year" in South Division of OPJHL; in his second season, he led the league in scoring (36-66-102 in 49 GP) and was a finalist for "Canadian Junior Player of the Year."  He also played for Team Canada (U-18) at the 2004 Junior World Cup leading the team in scoring and ultimately playing a large part in helping them win the gold medal (scored the gold-medal-winning goal).

After being drafted by the Oilers in 2005, Andrew played hockey at the collegiate level for two years at the University of Michigan - along with fellow NHLer Jack Johnson (2005-06, 2006-07).  He was named to CCHA All-Rookie Team and was All-CCHA honorable mention in 2006-07.  As a Wolverine, he also made two more appearances at the IIHF World Junior Championships (2006 and 2007) again winning gold medals both times.

On May 2, 2007, Cogliano signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers and earned a spot on Edmonton's NHL roster straight out of his first training camp a few months later.  He had quite a rookie season that year.  His first NHL game was on October 4, 2007 and scored his first career NHL goal a few days later on October 8, 2007 beating elite goaltender, "the Dominator," Dominik HaÅ¡ek.

For his sophomore season (2008-09), Andrew was invited to play in the NHL YoungStars Game. He won the Fastest Skater competition during the SuperSkills event clocking in at 14.31 seconds.

Cogliano was recently involved in an almost "block-buster" trade  along with Ladislav Smid, and Dustin Penner for Ottawa's Dany Heatley who chose to exercise his no-trade clause to ultimately accept an offer from San Jose -- SEE LINK to VIDEO BELOW!!

HOTTIE SENSIBILITY
Andrew may look familiar (or NOT since I'm guessing it probably wasn't his face you were focusing on - I wasn't, thats for sure!) since he appeared in the first ever issue of ESPN's "The Body Issue" in 2009 along with fellow Edmonton teammates Sheldon Souray and Ethan Moreau (pictured RIGHT; he's the one on the far right and BELOW; he's the one on the left).  If you need to jog your memory, HERE'S HftL's POST on that very subject - WITH A PIC!!!  That picture has the same effect on me that it did when I first saw it (oooooooooweee, momma!)!!     ; D

As for a little "tamer" hottie info, Andrew grew up in Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada and has an older brother, Matthew.

He has a great sense of humor - nothing like a man with a sense of humor (CLICK HERE to watch the video that supports this fact - players talking about the team's 2009 Halloween party)!!

AND he's not afraid to drop the gloves if needed which always makes a player more attractive (to me, anyway!)!!  He doesn't do it often, but from the looks of his most recent fight with Bruins' Brad Marchand (02/27/2011), he can hold his own (for his teammate no less ... he was targeting Marchand after cross-checking young superstar Taylor Hall!)!!

But Andrew does have a soft side and participates in charity work with the team.  He's been a part of the "Oilers & Friends Softball Classic" and, more recently, visiting children in local Edmonton hospitals.

WCH Post -- SOON!!

Today's WCH post will be up sometime today (I'm hoping for mid-afternoon), so please be patient and check back, ladies!!  I promise it'll be worth the wait!!!

Here's a clue to keep you busy until then:  he bared all for ESPN in 2009!!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

It's A Girl!!

THANKS to HftL follower, Connie, for the "heads-up!"


Last night, Daniel Sedin and his wife, Marinette, welcomed their third child (another girl) into the world joining big sister Ronja (2006) and big brother Erik (2008).  No word on a name, but it was reported by the Canucks GM and both mom and baby are doing fine.

CONGRATULATIONS TO DANIEL, MARINETTE AND THE SEDIN FAMILY!!

Friday, March 18, 2011

All In the Family

It looks like the Detroit Red Wings have been busy (and not just winning games either)!!  According to the team's official webpage, two of them have become fathers and another one has a baby on the way.

I recently posted that Johan Franzen became a daddy for the first time late last month (February 28th). 

Recently acquired defenseman (08/2010), Ruslan Salei, and his wife, Bethann, welcomed their third daughter, Ava Ruslanovna, this past Wednesday, March 16 in California.  Ava's two older sisters are Alexis, 5, and Aleksandro, 3.

CONGRATULATIONS TO RUSLAN, BETHANN, AND THE SALEI FAMILY!!

Also this month, Chris Osgood and his wife, Jenna, are expecting a baby which will be their third after daughters Mackenzie and Sydney.  CONGRATULATIONS TO CHRIS, JENNA, AND THE OSGOOD FAMILY!!

Where My Ladies At?

THESE ARE OUR STORIES
(How I Became a [Female] Hockey Fan)!

My ENTIRE family is nothing but a bunch of crazy football nut. Nobody liked hockey. But that changed on the 2008 Winter Classic.
I remember it being a normal,snowy day when I heard my doorbell ring. I opened it and it was my sister's boyfriend,Matthew (who is now like a brother to me). Matthew is a sports fan of everything. The first thing he said was,"You gonna watch the Penguins today?". And I just looked at him and said something I regret to this say,"Hockey is stupid." He asked if I could turn the TV on to NBC and watch the Winter Classic. I said no but he did anyway.
I sat down because I had nothing better to do and watched it. I was intrigued by it right away. He introduced me to Marc-Andre Fleury first. He said he was the goalie and the greatest in his opinion. I asked him why he was fat. He laughed and said it was the padding. Then after Sidney Crosby scored,he introduced me to him. The first thing I said (which I think is what EVERYONE first said!) was,"HE HAS HUGE LIPS!!" and Matthew laughed. My sister joined in and watched it with us. She was intrigued too. So we all sat down and watched it as my mom came in and wondered why they we wearing blue.
Thanks to Matthew,we were all not just football nuts,but new hockey fans as well. But I didn't follow them too much. I watched bits of the Playoffs but not too much due to softball practice. But during the last game in the Finals,I was at a Pirates game. I was worried sick. My sister had the game on her phone-radio. And my sister and I constantly got up to walk around by the TVs to see the score. We got home just in time to see them give the Cup to the Red Wings. From then on,I was a die-hard Pen fan as I brought more and more hockey love into the family.
Now,I have loads of other people in my family,school,neighbors, ect. watching the Penguins!! During Game 7 of the Cup Finals,I found my love for Sidney Crosby. When he got hurt,I couldn't understand why my eyes were tearing up. People sometimes label me as a puckbunny, but I could beat them in Pens trivia ANY DAY!!
I can guarantee that the 2008 Winter Classic between the Penguins and Buffalo Sabres made fans out of alot of doubters / "haters," so you're probably not alone in that, "nat5582!"  That game was one of the most exciting games I've watched and I was "buzzing" from it for days. And I really don't doubt you're good a Pens trivia as those who "catch on" to the Pens usually become DIE-HARDS at some point!!  THANKS for sharing your story with us, "nat!"

Don't forget, if you wish to submit your story, I kindly ask that you
email them directly to me so they don't end up being repetitive for some of the readers. Also, if you don't want me to include your name, please let me know that as well (what I'll normally do is put your first name and last initial if I have it OR just your screen name).

FEEL FREE TO INCLUDE A PICTURE!!


I also want to let you know I LOVE these stories (and so do alot of our readers) - I've always found it interesting no matter who the fan, so I'm enjoying ALL OF THIS IMMENSELY!! KEEP THEM COMING, but I ask that you
email them please - THANKS!!!

Also, I ask that you please BE PATIENT as I'm still receiving TONS of stories (they'll be posted in the order I received them, to be fair). If you sent in a story, it will eventually be on the blog - I promise!! ; ) JUST BE SURE TO KEEP THEM COMING (the more the better!)!! AS A NOTE, I'm currently on stories I received back in February 2010!!!

thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com

Thursday, March 17, 2011

It's A Boy!!


According to The Detroit News, Detroit Redwing Johan Franzen and his wife, Cecilia, became first-time parents when they welcomed their son Eddie Bo Johan into the world on the morning of February 28, 2011.
"It was something else," said Franzen, who'll be in the lineup Wednesday night against Anaheim after missing Monday's game in Los Angeles. "Pretty special."
Franzen created some confusion with teammates when he emailed a picture of the baby — but didn't say whether it was a boy or girl.
"I said, 'Baby Mule,'" said Franzen, whose nickname is Mule. "I thought they'd figure out it was a boy."
Franzen admitted it was tough to concentrate on hockey in the days leading up to his son's arrival.
"My wife said I was nervous," Franzen said. "Maybe your mind wanders between periods. But once you're on the ice, you don't think about it."

CONGRATULATIONS TO JOHAN AND CECILIA!!

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

NEW HftL Blog Pages!!!

If you haven't already noticed by now, there are new links on the page (towards the top, underneath the blog title graphic).

I've been working on a few new ideas and just recently had time to finish these two pages: Hockey Babies and Hockey Weddings.  They're listings of all the player babies and weddings we've featured here along the way (in alphabetical order by player's last name).

OF COURSE these will continually be a "work in progress" as we learn about engagements and pregnancies and it wouldn't be near as complete without YOUR HELP since there's no way I can know / find all the information there is out there, so if you see something missing please feel free to email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com so I can add it to the list(s) (but I do ask that you include a link to a legitimate source and / or pictures as I also try very hard not to spread rumors / gossip with the blog).

I really believe that these are great additions to the blog since I've made it a point to learn and provide the more "human side" of hockey players (without getting TOO personal) and what better way to record all the information up to this point than with special pages that will actually link you to each blog post?!!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Crosby Pics of the Week

What a TREAT!!  It's been weeks since we've even seen Sid and this past week he's made quite a few appearances - even skated!!!  He's definitely a sight for sore eyes, so this weeks post is full of yummy, adorable Sid pics -- HOOO-RAY!!! : D

Is it weird that I find the sexiest part of his body are his hands
(and his chest, and arms, and ... )??  LOOK AT THOSE HANDS!!















And when I saw him show up in the video thanking us fans (left; CLICK HERE to watch the video), is it weird that all I saw were "man nipples?!"  I haven't seen Sid in such a long time and all I can focus on are his nipples (should I even be admitting that?!) ...

I'VE JUST MISSED MY SID
(especially on the ice!)!!!

Monday, March 14, 2011

Crosby Skates!!


I just got a text, as many of you probably have, that Sid is back on the ice this morning practicing IN FULL GEAR!!!  The Pens webpage is reporting that he spent nearly 15 minutes on the ice.


As much as I'm excited about this news and seeing him "back where he belongs," I'm still leery and hoping that this isn't a sign he's coming back this season.  I just think it would probably be wise for him to think about the long-term repercussions it would possibly have on him and his career.  I'm certain there are very capable and knowledgeable people working with him, but I can't help but feel a little hesitant to have him anywhere close to playing a game and would prefer he wait for his "comeback" next season.

At any rate, it's good to see you back, Sid!!! ; )

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Attention Mad Max Fans ... Talbot's NEW Webpage!!

THANKS a million to loyal HftL follower, Mary F., for passing along information on this awesome new site!!!



As I told one of my friends who is a HUGE Talbot fan ... "I'm not in love with him, but this site is AWESOME, so I can't imagine what you'll think about it!!"

It even includes a "shop" for the chance to purchase really cool Max items (but it's "coming soon" and not up yet; however, the items featured are really awesome things!)!!!  And it's 'slogan' is "Get Maxed" -- how cool is that?!!! : )


Once you visit, be sure to come back and let HftL know what you think!!!

Friday, March 4, 2011

BREAKING NEWS!! Staalsy Got a Haircut

THANKS to loyal HftL reader, Char, we just found out this interesting news (also on the Penguins webpage this afternoon!)!!

And depending on where you stand with "wings or no wings," you'll either be ecstatic or disappointed.

It appears as though Jordan recently got his haircut (no more lucious, golden "wings" to speak of under his hockey helmet.

What do you ladies think? Yea or Nay?

Honestly (and I'm sure Maureen, Char, and the rest of you Staalsy lovers will agree), the boy is STILL scrumptious!! ; )