Team Canada Camp Here I come!!!!

Earl and Darby are about to set out on another trip of a lifetime, as Earl refers to his little hockey trips. They are leaving tomorrow for Calgary and the Team Canada Hockey Camp. I am not sure if I posted the story of the guys we met on our first trip to Detroit. We were on our way down to the dressing room after the game and part of group consisted of a group of Canadians from Calgary. While we were in the dressing room and Earl and Darby were flitting about in the back with the players...one of these guys came over to me and with great curosity asked me, "who are you and why are your boys so in with the players?" I told him Earls story and they were all happy to see how welcoming the Red Wings were. they were quite impressed with Mike Babcock and the Wings Organization for taking such an interest and going to the lengths that they were to give Earl a real time Hockey Experience. Soon I heard a request" Darby's mom...can you take some pictures of us?" cause here they are in the dressing room of the Stanley Cup Champs and no one has a camera. so I took a bunch of pictures, halled them out to the bench to take some more....and when we returned home I emailed the pictures to them. They were thrilled, because now they had proof and therefore bragging rights...with their friends and colleagues. I received a big thank you and a request to keep them up to date on Earl's health.

I recently emailed them an update telling them how Earl was doing and that he was hoping to come out to Calgary for the Team Canada camp. I received a reply with an invitation to join them in their suite at the Red/White game at the end of the camp. I told them I had to work out a few details and I would let them know if we were able to make the trip or not. The next email I recv'd said that they would like to help us make the trip...... As it turns out my new kitchen cabinets were the detail I was trying to work out and they are being delivered this Thursday...so I was not going to be able to take Earl. Darby is though and when I let this fellow know he replied that he/his company would love to fly Earl and Darby out to Calgary, put them up in a downtown hotel and meet them at the game on Thursday. They are ecstatic.....!!!!! The company's name is Plains Midstream Canada and they are ready to show these boys a memorable time. They will be picked up at the airport in a limo (Earl is so excited as he has never been in a limo beofre) We have spoken to Babs and he will get them into the practices on Wednesday and Thursday, and Plains Midstream has somehow obtained tickets for the boys to attend the Team Canada Dinner on Wednesday night. OOOOOOH I wish I could go too....but it's Darby's turn. They should have fun.

Believe in the Goal 2009

Hi Everyone,

Earl had a great time at the Believe in the Goal/ Super Summer Showdown hockey game. A big thank-you to Darren Helm and Donna Sutherland (Todd Davidson's aunt) for helping Earl and friends to meet some of the players.

On Wednesday Earl and I went to Larders Golf Club where the Golf Tournament portion of the fundraiser was held. We arrived before tee-off and as we wandered around Earl met a number of NHL & AHL players. Darren Helm, Jonathon Toews, Cam Barker, Nigel Daus, Jordan Tootoo, Alexandre Bolduc, Cory Schneide, Rejean Beachemin, and Ace Burpy!

The next evening we went to the Hockey Game at the MTS center, with friends Chris, Rob, and Earl and Ramona Reimer. It was so much fun and Earl's friends were excited as they were able to cash in on Earl's NHL and media connections, with a visit to the broadcast booth during the first intermission and a visit to the dressing room during the 2nd intermission. A good time was had by all and we have a few pictures to help us remember. I have to say it was very exciting to be in the dressing room with so many players from so many teams. If you didn't get a chance to see the game....mark it on your calendar for next year, as it truly was a great game and for a very worthy cause. Check out Todd's story by googling Believe in the Goal/ Todd Davidson.

Earl is also excited because he has been on the phone with Mike Babcock talking about the goalies for Team Canada.

Take care and I will have another update right away about the upcoming Terry Fox Run taking place on September 13 at Assiniboine Park.

Debbie

Finally they changed it

One of our favourite goaltenders has finally gotten the NHL to change the spelling of his name. And it's about time.

From the Caps Media Relations Blog,

"Simeon Varlamov - in name only at least - is no longer a member of the Capitals. That is because the promising young goaltender from Russia has filed papers with the NHL to have his first name spelled S-E-M-Y-O-N for the upcoming season and foreseeable future.

However, name changes are nothing new to Varlamov. According to the NHL, when the Caps selected him 23rd overall in the 2006 NHL Draft his first name was spelled S-E-M-E-N. Papers were then filed with the league on behalf of the player to change the spelling of his first name to S-I-M-E-O-N prior to this latest change.

But for now, Semyon Varlamov should be used in all text and publications from this point forward."

First of all, who the heck had the smart idea of naming him Semen? That's absolutely ridiculous and quite insulting. And then they change it to Simeon? It has nothing to do with anything Russian. What were they thinking?
Oh wait that's right. They WEREN'T.
Because they definitely didn't ask him how he wanted his name spelled. He's wanted it Semyon for like ever but they just didn't listen did they.

Finally our brotha from anotha motha has people spelling his English name correctly. And saying it right.
After all, he will be a Stanley Cup Champion this season. He's that freaking amazing.




That's right, Semyon. It's ours.



Don't worry, summer's almost over. Hockey will be back soon. Meanwhile, I suggest you listen to Sirius XM Channel 204 NHL Home Ice. Like I have been doing all summer. It's a wonderful place that helps you remember moments like this






Also on the Caps Media blog, apparently "Alex Ovechkin was the answer to a trivia question on the popular ABC game show "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" last night. The $50,000 question given to the contestant was, "Which of these men is the National Hockey League MVP this year and not a character in a Anton Chekhov play?" The contestant knew the answer to win $50,000. You can watch the full episode from last night on ABC's website." That's not a $50,000 question to me but okay whatever. The other choices were Konstantin Treplev, Mikhail Astrov, Boris Trigorin.


The season will be here before you know it...

My Jersey Ranking

The Hockey News recently ranked all the NHL jerseys. I thought they got it wrong so I decided to rank them myself. I am a bit biased with some of them but all in all I thought I did a pretty good job.

#1 Washington Capitals

Most beautiful jerseys in the league. Also instill fear in the other teams. When they see it, they know to get the heck out of his way.

#2 Carolina Hurricanes

I really like their logo. The pattern at the bottom is cool too.

#3 Chicago Blackhawks

Simple design and the colors go together well. The logo on the shoulder is the best part.

#4 Montreal Canadians

The Hockey News said “Might as well call that middle line the 'Habs stripe'” Couldn’t have said it better myself.

#5 Boston Bruins

My school colors. How could I not love my school colors. The stripes on the bottom and arms are nice.

#6 Detroit Red Wings

Very simple but still appealing. I also like the shade of red.

#7 Toronto Maple Leafs

I like this shade of blue. This is also simple but very classic and appealing.

#8 Calgary Flames

Great logo and colors. The design reflects the logo and it all goes together very well.

#9 New Jersey Devils

Strong look and good colors.

#10 San Jose Sharks

Great colors and logo. And mascot.

#11 Tampa Bay Lightening

Very strong and good colors. Great logo as well. And I like the font but The Hockey News didn't.

#12 Colorado Avalanche

Great colors and logo. Simple and clean. Love the blue lines at the top.

#13 New York Rangers

Hate the Rags but their jersey’s not bad. I like the letters going diagonal.

#14 Columbus Blue Jackets

The front and sides are a bit empty. And the logo is ehhh...Good colors though :)

#15 St. Louis Blues

Too much blue but I like the yellow outlining.

#16 Phoenix Coyotes

Good simple colors.

#17 Vancouver Canucks

I agree with The Hockey News it is a bit busy. But I like the font.

#18 New York Islanders

I don’t like the colors very much but the design is okay.

#19 Atlanta Thrashers

I like the arms but I’ve never liked the logo at all. But the collar is very cool.

#20 Edmonton Oilers

Like the logo but I like 19 other jerseys better.

#21 Anaheim Ducks

I don’t like the whole design.

#22 Nashville Predators

Like the yellow and the grey shoulders but it’s boring. Except for the logo which is pretty intimidating, I have to admit.

#23 Buffalo Sabres

I don’t like the logo but the colors and design are nice.

#24 Flo Rida Panthers

Colors don’t mesh well and it’s kind of busy.

#25 Ottawa Senators

That logo isn’t attractive. The arms are weird looking...

#26 Los Angeles Kings

Colors are awful together. But the words on the bottom are cool.

#27 Dallas Stars

They’ve had much better jerseys. I like the lettering but the rest of the design is boring.

#28 Philadelphia Flyers

Hate the name. Hate the logo. Hate the colors. Hate the team. Hate that they now have Pronger.

#29 Minnesota Wild

The Hockey News said it was their #5 and “New school in the best sense; cool colors and logo” I don’t like the logo and the players look like they have ugly holiday sweaters all season long.How they thought it was worth number five I will never know. But I like the inside of the logo. The little bear thingy. But it's too small and from far away it looks like a sombrero.

#30 Pittsburgh Penguins

I may be a little biased but even if I weren’t...this jersey wouldn’t even be in my top 20.

Penguins make for bad mascots. I made it really tiny so you wouldn't barf as much. Your welcome.

Well that's all folks. Hope you enjoyed it because it took me a long time to paste in thirty pictures.

Yay summer's almost over! You know what that means....

(training camp!!!!)

Tribute time, yet again.

And now, without further a do, we present to you the long awaited BRASH TRIBUTE.

He wasn't only a fighter, contrary to many people's opinion, but a great hockey player and a very funny dude.

My favorite is in the "ladies man" video where he basically calls out the young guys by saying that the ladies men are the young, not so good looking, money makin' guys.

Also, we will miss Brent Johnson very much. Coolest back up goalie ever.

BRASH'S TRIBUTE:

Brash's fist is literally in the dude's eye. The ref is having too much fun watching to actually try and stop the fight.

Won't be getting that beating anymore.

Stickin' up for the caps family.

He scared people just by looking at them, kinda like Crosby does. Except it wasn't cause they were blinded by his ugliness.

AWWWWW.
WE WILL MISS YOU.

July Update 2009

Hi Everyone.

Another month has passed and I thought it time to give you an update. Earl is feeling more energetic these days and is excited about a number of things going on. Firstly he is getting revved up for the upcoming Terry Fox "Marathon of Hope" Run on Sept. 13. His team is already starting to grow, so check it out and add your name to the team. Secondly he is excited about his support team's first official meeting. We went to visit some friends at St. Boniface 5b, on Thursday and there ended up being 3 patients and Earl...so we decided that was enough to consider it our first group meeting.

One area of concern is our upcoming CT Scan and follow-up appointment with Dr. Wong. The last CT showed 2 nodules in Earl's left upper lobe and the next one will give us a better idea as to whether they are cancerous or not. If they are then an appt will be booked with the surgeon to see if he will operate and remove them.....Please keep this in your prayers.

Earl and I spent a week cooking out at Camp Nutimik earlier this month and it felt so good to be back serving the Lord in the kitchen. Earl was able to help out daily, but also was able to have a good rest. Earl was excited to share his faith story with 120 staff and campers, and the news we've had heard is that kids at camp are still talking about it....Way to Go Earl.

This Thursday Earl will be attending the "Super Summer Showdown" at the MTS Center with some friends. It is a fundraiser for Cancer in the name of Manitoba grown Todd Davison who played the game of hockey with tremendous speed and a big heart, never letting the big guys stop him. In 2004 on his graduation day from St. Paul's High School he also had a date with a doctor, who performed a biopsy on his left shoulder. Two days later he was introduced to his newest adversary - synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that attacked the tissues surrounding the joint. Following months of extensive radiation and chemotherapy sessions, Todd underwent major surgery in March 2005 on his shoulder. This removed the tumor but left him with limited use of his left arm, and effectively ending his hockey career. Todd passed away in December 2006....which was the same time that I took Earl to the Pan am Clinic to have his sore knee looked at. Come and cheer on Jonathan Toews, Darren Helm, Cam Barker, Travis Zajac, Jordin Tootoo and many more as they put their talent and skills on display in a mid-summer all-star game at the MTS Centre to support young patients in Manitoba with Cancer. Tickets available through www.ticketmaster.ca.

Well take care
Debbie