words from wick

Ha…eat that again Colorado. Yahoo.com recently voted this play as the #3 most embarrassing moment of the past decade…

Here’s the description, from the article:

” In May 2002, during the Western Conference finals, Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche felt he had stoned Steve Yzerman on a close shot. To taunt the Wings about his utter invincibility, he raised his glove in what’s been called a “Statue of Liberty” pose … only to have the puck drop out and Brendan Shanahan poke it home.

If St. Patrick’s ego was bruised, he wasn’t about to show it after the game. From Jim Kelley of Sportsnet:

He was “putting a little mustard” on a good save, but it was a devastating miscue, one that gave the Detroit Red Wings new life and, eventually, the Stanley Cup.

The night of that Game 6 loss in Colorado, no one in media expected to see Patrick Roy. Yet he came to his locker, answered most every question with a steely gaze at the questioner and a rock-solid belief that he had done no wrong.

He talked about how he played to win and dismissed criticism of his miscue as if it didn’t even happen. “What goal,” he asked when a questioner asked him to recount the circumstances. “Which one do you mean?”

The Wings would go on to hoist something of their own later that postseason.

I’d still argue that Roy’s “measure Hasek’s stick” mistake officially destroyed the myth that Roy was unbeatable and nearly infallible, but the Statue of Liberty save ranks as a very, very close second.”

Dang straight. And with such an injured team STILL winning (some) games this year, our 2nd and 3rd lines are getting plenty of development. Around Olympic time, we WILL be the TOP team in the NHL…and WILL take the Cup again this year. I’m a fan, and I say so. 🙂

Viennese, really.

I recently finished reading “Ground Up“, the first novel written by Michael Idov. It was surprisingly good, and I say that more like you would say a Cedar-Plank Salmon with capers and fresh spinach was surprisingly good…not like you would say a certain pizza place was surprisingly good. Get it?

If you enjoy coffee (read “enjoy actual coffee, the rich aromas and flavors, and history, and roasting/brewing techniques, have a favorite bean origin or at least know how to describe the type of black coffee you enjoy; not “oh yes….I absolutely LOVE a good frappocino”), enjoy literature (read “GOOD literature – intelligent, entertaining, provoking, and have read at least 2 or more books that were translated INTO English, bonus for it being Russian”; not “oh yes, I really enjoyed that recent best seller mentioned by Oprah or Dobson”), and see the humor in just a proportionate amount of pretension…you’d love this book.

I probably just ruined it for a lot of you with the amount of wordy pretension in the previous paragraph, but seriously….good book alert. It’s the journey of a married couple in New York as they begin their dream coffee shop in the Lower East Side. The challenges they face economically, relationally, and beyond…more than fit the title of the book well. If you’ve ever thought how awesome it’d be to run a quaint little “anti-Starbucks and Walmart” coffee-shop with someone you love – you’ll enjoy this book.

I will give a brief warning, simply because my blog is often read by parents of teenagers – this is not a book to recommend to teens. Although I was pleased that the few scenes that were a bit over PG-13, could be quickly scanned passed…as opposed to some books that would require a few page turns.

It will make you thirsty for a good cup of coffee, and to know a bit more about where it came from. It will make you thankful for your spouse if you’re married…and perhaps make you thankful you don’t have one if you’re not. 🙂 You’ll be glad you never decided to launch your own coffee shop, or perhaps it will entice you to jump into that journey after putting it off for so long. In any case, the characters are well developed, dialogue captivating both internally and externally, and all around a refreshing book. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Idov.

Although, seeing how this was based (however loosely) on his experience...here’s hoping he can simply write next time, without having to endure being ground once again (ground = verb). 🙂 If he’s listening – thank you sir…for sharing your experience in such a way.