NHL hockey is back

Oh, right, THIS IS HAPPENING: 

I'd selfishly have preferred the NHL not start playing again till after I finish a difficult move to my new apartment (first move since 2001), and after I'd had a chance o take more AHL/ECHL/USHL trips, but hey, good to see this on my TV again. (And then on illicit feeds on my computer again.)

Note: I did try to post here every day in November for the National Blog Posting Month thing, but just fell behind. I made it halfway through on two different blogs, however, so it's like a did a whole month, right?

My move has given me a chance to sort sports memorabilia I've accumulated the past few years...and when I have a functioning scanner again, I intend to have some fun with it here!

Googling the NHL

Hadn't done this in a while. This was sad. And yes, I just had to visit NHL.com this week for the first time in months.

And the empty bar at the top where the games should be...that made it sink in.

Hockey results for November 3

 ...2011. I said I wasn't really missing the NHL season and it's still true while I have many other things to occupy me this fall (...winter? ...spring?), a random look through what was happening exactly a year ago in the NHL does hurt a bit. I'd grab a few screenshots from every game I watched online, and the NHL.com posts at the end of the night. I haven't looked at NHL.com in months now.

Chicago Blackhawks were at Tampa Bay Lightning, and it was an uneventful game until the second:

Then...too eventful. Damn, I'd forgotten this one. Eight goals in one period, including a hat trick for Steven Stamkos:

And Lightning won in overtime, 5-4. Wait, no goals in the third either? That doesn't sound like a good game exactly, but it's the kind of ridiculous one I miss.

Meanwhile in St. Louis, it was the game with an appearance by recent World Series champion Cardinals (a World Series that was actually exciting, unlike the final series in 2012):

The NHL.com headlines. There was a 7-6 OT game too? Damn.

And the little thing showing the top video highlights. There's a typo, not uncommon, but I was always impressed everything was up so fast on the site:

I'd always screenshot the three stars of the night. Two hat tricks!

I also liked getting screenshots of the standings at the end of the night. Yeah, 2011 started off very strangely. The top of the table shows many teams that didn't make the playoffs, and defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston off to a rough start:

And this was from the night before and concerns the offense struggles of Islanders and Red Wings, but I winced. I'm sure those fans would prefer that to the extremely dead NHL October we just had.

Oh, hi again.

I'm sure I'm not the only hockey fan blogger who's been somewhat inactive...more than usual...with the NHL lockout going on. All I'll say about it is I feel awful for the people whose income depends on the NHL games happening...but personally I'm mostly doing fine without it. At least for a while. I have other things (and not just other hockey, or even other sports, imagine that) to occupy the fall (and winter if need be). And without the lockout, would NHL players be tweeting about things like THIS?