Yesterday was one of the coolest and hardest days of my life. We’ll get to the cool part, but first the hard part. The cool part is worth the wait. Trust me.

So, the hard part. Mike Russell’s wake. It was hands down, the hardest wake I have ever gone to in my whole life, and that includes my own father’s. The show of support was incredible. I saw many, many people I hadn’t seen in years. It was awful circumstances in which to see old friends, but it was nice to see them nonetheless. I was obviously very emotional, and seeing each of the kids and the parents trying to be strong for each other was amazing. They are a tight knit group for sure, and I hope to see them all again, only this time, at a joyous occasion. RIP, Mike. You are going to be missed.

Now, for the cool part. Caroline and I got to meet Lord Stanley yesterday! The Bruins put together a thing for the season ticket holders. It was really neat to see the Cup up close, and to get to touch it. I wanted to put Caroline in the actual bowl, but they said she was too big, so we had to settle for a couple of shots of us touching it, whilst wearing a very serious face. I think she’s pissed because right where our hands are is a Montreal square. Lucky she didn’t puke on it.

Along with having the Cup, there were a couple of booths set up for Bruins Stanley Cup memorabilia, and some used equipment as well. Among the locker placards, I found Brian McGrattan. Do you think 2 bucks is too much to spend? Me neither. The defense begins Thursday evening, and I for one can’t wait!

Well, I hate to do it again with the bad news about a hockey player dying, but here we go. An old friend of mine from way back in the day was killed in a car accident last Saturday night. Of all the deaths over this summer, the death of Mike Russell hits the hardest. Mike was 36, had a wife and 2 kids, and was my best friend growing up. He will be missed.

I don’t know exactly when and where Mike and I met. I would assume it was the early 80’s, at either a soccer field, or a hockey rink. Mike’s dad, Jim, was a big soccer coach, and Mike was a great soccer player. I was a shitty soccer player, and I hated every second of it, but I’m off topic. Where Mike shined athletically, was hockey. He was gifted on the pond, the rink in his back yard, and on a rink. I remember going into the Russell’s house and the first thing that struck me, was all the damn equipment. Mike had 3 older brothers, and 1 sister that all played, and they had gear everywhere. They also had a sick trophy case in the basement, full of soccer and hockey trophies from all over the place.

Mike and I were inseparable. I am pretty sure the first time I ever drank a beer, I was with Mike. I know I smoked butts with him, and snuck out of the house to get into mischief with him all the time. We were always into something in Thoreau Hills, and around the West Concord area. Our hockey coaches hated having us in practice, especially Mr. Gray, and my dad, because we never paid attention and were always trying sick moves on each other, or fighting with the other kids. We were there to have fun, and since we were good players, we did what we wanted. While everyone was watching the Cosby show on Thursday nights, we were at Valley Sports making my dad miserable!

Once middle school hit, he went to Peabody, and I to Sanborn. We didn’t really see each other much because we fell in with different crowds, and I think our friendship turned into more of a rivalry. We fought each other a couple of times, but somehow we always came out of it as friends. Once Mike went to high school at Belmont Hill, we really didn’t see each other, but I always knew what he was up to through his family.

His family always treated me like one of their own. I am feeling so bad for them right now, I really can’t even describe it. To the Russell family I send my deepest condolences. This has got to be agony for them, and they are most definitely in my thoughts and prayers. The last time I saw Mike alive, I wasn’t very nice to him. I feel terribly about that right now. Russ, you’ll be missed buddy. When I see you on the other side, I owe you an apology. Like always after a handshake and a hug, we’ll be friends again.

We’ve had writing downtime on GoonBlog.com before. We’ve had lapses. Heck, there may even have been a little honest-to-goodness slacking off. This season, however, we’ve been more than a little quiet and – as he’s likely knee deep in greenish shit at the moment – I wanted to let the faithful know where Chris has been for the last 2 months…

In a word – Fathering.

Chris and HOL (a clever variation on MOL) welcomed wee Caroline into the world earlier this year and everyone is doing well. As you can see from the photograph, her NHL indoctrination is already well underway.

Caroline loves Trevor Gillies, and the Islanders!

Please join the rest of us at GBHQ in congratulating Amy and Chis on their new, and soon to be skating, arrival. Well done you two. Oh, and Caroline? In the words of the immortal Will Smith: “Welcome to Earth”.

It’s a much nicer planet with you on it.

I love it. Sometimes you have to defend yourself. What’s up with the bigger guy? He looks like Ned Braden refusing Reg’s orders to scrap! With the Islanders loading up, maybe they want to take this kid too!

It’s been a very busy week for me since returning from Indianapolis, and the 94th running of the Indianapolis 500. I will spare the gory details, but it’s nice to have a few minutes to sit down and bang this out. Let’s get right to it, shall we?

The word I would use to describe this year’s Indianapolis 500 would be, sweaty. I have been going out there for a decade and a half, and I can’t say I remember a week that was as hot, and muggy as this year’s edition. Every day was like walking through pea soup as the air had a thickness one could feel. I am not sure if it was the heat, but the Hammer put on several heroic displays of beer drinking, and even got Steve in on the act with a couple of Summer Sandy’s. I was teetering at the 19th Hole after our golf outing Thursday and if we didn’t get out of there when we did, I may well have wound up shirtless on the putting green screaming, “I’m BACK!”, but I managed to resist what looked to be the most refreshing and delicious summer cooler ever!

Thursday evening found us enjoying some steaks, and shrimp cocktail at St. Elmo’s downtown. For the second year in a row, we dined right next to Sam Schmidt. It’s seems the former driver, paralyzed in a racing accident, enjoys the same pre race tradition as us. He again had a huge table and they were eating and drinking like Vikings. Well played.

Last year at the 500, Davis told the most hilarious story about an infield pooping incident. I tried to recreate it here, and in person to anyone that asked me about Indy, but it doesn’t translate. Well, this year, Davis had a hilarious living in a paper thin wall house story that is equally hilarious, but also won’t translate. I will say, hanging in the suite with Dane, Davis, and the rest of the crew was an excellent way to spend Carb Day, and I hope to get an invite back next year. I am still giggling about the story. You really had to be there.

Saturday found the Hammer, Jim and I downtown again to watch the end of the Duke vs. Virginia lacrosse game, and game 1 of the Cup finals. Along the way we saw the Playboy party and some other bars with scantily clad women out front trying to lure us in. Quite lovely, but we were on a mission to watch some hockey and lacrosse. We have sick priorities. I realize this.

Also along the way, we saw at least 3 groups of Blackhawks fans. I was wearing a Bruins shirt, and the Hawks fans were all really cool about it. I got a couple, “sorry about your Bruins”, and a “we’ll get him for you”. The guy that wasn’t cool was the idiot Flyers fan we came across. He was the only one “rooting” for the Flyers in the whole bar, and was typical of most of the Flyers fans I have ever met. Very loud, and obnoxious. He also was barely paying attention to the game. He cheered at the replay of goals, and was talking nonstop shit without any actual knowledge of the game of hockey, or his supposed beloved team. Like I said, it was a typical Flyers fan. I am happy the Hawks won, but I am still pretty sure the Flyers are going to win the whole thing. I hate them.

The main event of the weekend was Sunday, and again, the word you’re looking for is, sweaty. If I may, OMG. It was hot. The Speedway ran out of water, which was problematic, as we as fans ran out most quickly as well. Jim and Hammer did a nice job on the brew though. At least they had liquids. I found the race to be fairly interesting at the start with a kamikaze start by Tomas Schecter leading to the race’s first caution. It wasn’t long after Jack Nicholson got to wave the flag again for the restart that the yellow came out again for another crash. After that, it was a very long stretch of Dario Judd running away from the field. He was bad fast all day, and had the field covered, but near the end, when some cautions came out, it became a fuel mileage race. It got interesting, with some cars having to come in to pit and a huge crash on the last lap bringing out the caution allowing Mr. Judd to become a 2 time winner of the Greatest Spectacle in Sports. The crowd left happy, and I am already looking forward to next year.

With another year of Indianapolis in the books, it is time to turn my attention to the last few weeks of hockey. The series is going back to Chicago tonight, and I missed most of the game Friday because I lost my Versus feed here. From what I have seen, I am more and more convinced the Flyers are going to win this thing. It’s now a best of three series, and their refusal to roll over for anyone is going to be the key to them winning the Stanley Cup. I am sure the stain on my floor will look like Scott Hartnell’s face when I reverse gears after they win it. Tonight is a huge game for both teams, as it sets the stage for one more win, wins it all. Let’s go Blackhawks!

I am a reasonably smart man. OK, I am kind of smart…..fine…I am a man. Ooooo shiny….Anyway, what I can’t figure out for the life of me, is why the NHL is so vehemently against Jim Balsillie owning a NHL franchise.

Craig Leipold, a man who himself was forced out of NHL ownership in Nashville, only to be inexplicably allowed to buy another NHL team in the Minnesota Wild, went so far as to say “Based on my owner experiences with Mr. Balsillie, I have formed a highly unfavorable opinion regarding him, including his suitability as an NHL owner.” That isn’t a ringing endorsement from a guy that knows about losing a lot of money in areas where hockey won’t work.

I would love to know what the deal is with Balsillie. From everything I have read about him, he seems to be a decent guy. Obviously he LOVES hockey, has a crap load of money to throw around, and doesn’t appear to have a drawer full of child porn or anything. Leipold, and Boston Miser Owner, C. Montgomery Burns, I mean, Jeremy Jacobs are beating the drum the loudest against Balsillie owning a team. The NHL is asking his bid to be discarded from the pile of bids that will be received in September when the Coyotes go up for auction. In fact, the other 30 owners voted 26-0 against his bid being accepted. 3 abstained from voting, one was unavailable in case you were wondering about my math.

The objection in this case appears to be some coercion on the part of Jerry Moyes, the current Phoenix Coyotes owner, and Balsillie regarding the Chapter 11 filing of Mr. Moyes. The league is accusing the two of trying to go around the NHL’s usual procedure for NHL team ownership by having Moyes file bankruptcy with a plan in place to sell to Balsillie. That does seem a bit convenient on both parties’ parts, but is it enough to totally blackball the guy? Jim Balsillie has tried twice before to buy a NHL franchise the legal way and has been shot down twice because he wanted to move said club to Hamilton, ON. Can one really blame him for trying to sneak in the back door?

What I really don’t get is the huge objection to having a team in Hamilton. OK, I could have seen a little outcry if the Pittsburgh Penguins had won the first cup in team history for the Hamilton Blackberries, as Pittsburgh is a hockey town with a bit of history, but he’s tried to move 2 teams that don’t work where they are to an environment that seemingly would be perfect for a NHL team. It appears to me that moving the franchises out of the toxic environment they are in, i.e., Phoenix, or Nashville, and into Hamilton would be a good financial move for the NHL. I can see the Leafs, and the Sabres having a bit of a beef over it, and maybe the Senators, but moving a team to the region doesn’t mean lifelong fans of the aforementioned teams would instantly become fans of the new Hamilton squad. Put it this way, if the Whalers ever come back, I will not be the first person in line for tickets. I didn’t like them then, why would I like them now is my point.

From my seat in the stands, having a team in Hamilton would be a way to generate money for the NHL and the owner of a team. The Coyotes have lost millions over the years, and they haven’t been very good on the ice either. I am sure there is way more to this story that the general public doesn’t know about, and probably never will know about. What I would be interested to see is if it’s Jim Balsillie the league doesn’t like, or is it the idea of a team in Hamilton? I am going to get together a couple hundred million, and try to move the Coyotes to Hamilton. Let’s see if the league will let me do it. Um, can I borrow a couple hundred million from one of you guys?

It is official. I am a meat slapper. I bought a Bruins third jersey last night at Sports Authority. I have been debating if I should get one since they came out. On the one hand, I strongly believe that jerseys are for meat slappers, and kids. On the other, I really like the Bruins third jersey. Along with the St. Louis Blues third jerseys, they are my favorite alternates in the league. After much deliberation, I decided I was going to get a blank one as you never wear another man’s uniform. I feel the blank jersey avoids that issue as there is no name; so really, it’s like wearing a t shirt of your favorite team. That makes sense right? The problem then became finding one.

The Bruins hit a home run with this jersey, and the fans agreed. When they debuted, I wasn’t sure if I could get one, and when I decided I wanted one, I couldn’t get one. I tried a XXXL on in the Pro Shop at the Garden, but it was way too big. All outlets are reporting 12-16 week lead times on getting more in. Well, unless you want a Chara, and I do not. So, when we were going to the mall last night to get MOL a new phone, I asked her to pull into Sports Authority to see if maybe they had one.

Has anyone looked for Bruins gear in Boston these days? Let’s put it this way, Whitey Bulger is easier to find than a store with a good Bruins selection. Most places I have been have racks upon racks of Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics gear, and a tiny corner where the Bruins gear is. Even Modell’s, the supposed “official” place for Bruins gear was nearly barren of the Black and Gold. Interesting side not, they did have a very nice Glenn Murray jersey. Full price. When I walked into Sports Authority and saw the sea of Red Sox gear before me I thought, “Well, here we go again.” I looked against the wall, and they had several Chara thirds, and some other uniforms. Disappointed I began to walk away. I thought well, maybe I will just take a peek through these jerseys to see if they have a blank XXL. I looked around to ensure no one was looking as I didn’t want to be labeled a Chara fan. Rifling through them like a kid going through his friend’s mom’s underwear drawer, there it was in the back. XXL. Blank. I looked away, stunned. No way was this my lucky day. Even better, the jersey was 20% off.

MOL was not very pleased with me spending $92.00 on a hockey jersey. I felt a little like Ralphie asking for a Red Rider BB Gun. Instead of “you’ll shoot your eye out,” I got “really? This is what you want to spend your money on?” I felt like a little kid asking for it. “Please mom? It can be my birthday-Christmas-Easter present.” After a few minutes of being totally emasculated by my wife, I bought it, and we were on our way.

I must say, I really like the jersey. It fits really well, and Milan Lucic and I watched the game last night while I was wearing it. She was trying to chew on the crest. Bummer they lost, but all in all, I couldn’t be more pleased with my purchase. Does this really make me a meat slapper?

Good day, and like, Happy New Year eh? Without turning this into a Shecky Greene show, I’d like to say, boy am I glad the holidays are over. Not so much because I was overly busy doing a lot of holiday partying or anything, but I swear to God they started in with the Christmas music at Halloween, and by Christmas Eve if I heard Jingle Bell Rock one more time I would not be held responsible for my actions. My word. Who can take the marketing these days? Also, it’s nice to be able to leave the house and not have to deal with 87,00 other people on the road all trying to get into one little strip mall. I’ve had it up to here.

Having said that, my Christmas was lovely, and New Year’s was great. MOL and I went to the Capital Grille for dinner, and then she flew to San Antonio to visit her mother taking Milan Lucic with her. I hung out with George all day enjoying the Winter Classic, some excellent seafood, and then a nice Italian dinner, before heading in to Boston for the Bruins 4-2 wins last night. I hope the NHL does the Classic again next season in Fenway Park. Boston against Montreal outside on New Year’s Day? Are you kidding? That would be the best thing EVAH! Although the home team has yet to win the outdoor game, so hopefully if they did do it Boston would break the cycle. Happy New Year to all. Goonblog is looking forward to a great 2009, and along with wishing everyone the best of health and happiness, we’d like to remind you all to “stay goony”!

Happy Boxing Day! My apologies for the long layoff. I have been on doggie duty for the last ten days. MOL has been working strange hours, and as such, I’ve had to take care of Milan Lucic. We’ve been watching a lot of hockey together, but when I try to use the computer all she wants to do is chew on the screen, so blogging has been tough. My Christmas was great. This year was a very relaxing affair. It was nice to not have to run around. Anyway, I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas! I’ll be back next week with some goon stuff.

I guess since Christmas music is on the radio before Thanksgiving is even here, I should tell you what I am asking MOL to get me for Christmas. She wants a cocktail ring, which I guess is a ring for her right hand? I may go Homer Simpson on her and get her an onion ring. I on the other hand would like a copy of Howard Shapiro’s great new hockey book, “Hockey Player for Life.”

The story is of an AA player in Canada that “can’t miss” as the next big thing in the pro game. Apparently he does in fact miss, and the story is that of him reflecting on his past experiences and him realizing he is a “Hockey Player for Life.” A lot of pro teams have already bought the book, including the Buffalo Sabres, and several other NHL teams as well as several in the AHL, ECHL, and Major Junior ranks. Keith Primeau wrote the forward for the book, as well as John Buccigross provided some quotes for the back cover.

I know growing up playing on the pond and then playing organized hockey for years and years, I have made some fantastic friends, and some of my best memories are hockey related. The love of the game was passed on to me from my father, and should I have any kids, I would like to pass on hockey to them as well. I look back on all the good times, and bad I have had in the 30 years I have been a hockey fan and player (not so much a player in the last few) and I am grateful to everyone that helped me along the way. Mom and dad getting up at zero dark thirty to take me to one rink, and my brother to another, only to cross paths later in the day as we were playing game two, and sometimes three at the same rink. Coaches that gave me encouragement along the way, and tried to harness my sometimes over exuberance while on the ice, family and friends that encouraged me to keep playing after a big loss. My hockey memories stick out for me above else, because I too see myself as a “Hockey Player for Life.” I will be directing MOL to the links below to buy the book, and check out the really cool YouTube video I posted. Mr. Shapiro has done a great job with this book, and I am looking forward to a stroll down memory lane with “Hockey Player for Life.”