Do You Believe In Miracles?

It was the eve of the 30th anniversary of the Miracle on Ice and Canada Hockey Place was rocking. It was going to be an epic showdown of Canada versus the U.S.A. - and this was only a preliminary game yet every fan in the stadium knew that it was much more - that's why over 87 million fans tuned in to watch the game. The Canadian/American rivalry has been a huge part of hockey and has only gotten stronger since the Canadian upset at Salt Lake City where the U.S.A. fell 5-2 in the gold medal game. Hockey is Canada's game and they were going to prove it by winning the gold medal on home ice, yet the Americans weren't going to let Canada have an easy ride - we play hockey too.

The fans were already rocking the stadium and cheering like they already won, because they knew they were going to win. With a line-up of the greatest NHL players (including the fantastic four from the Sharks), who wouldn't expect them to breeze through the prelims? The Americans, while containing all NHLers as well, were the youngest squad in the tournament with an average age of 26 and only three players ever playing in an Olympics before. Team Canada by far was the better team . . . but I guess know one told Team U.S.A. that. At the drop of the puck, the chant of "go, Canada, go" was deafening, then 41 seconds later the chant fell silent. Olympic veteran Brian Rafalski (Detroit Red Wings) ripped a blast from the shot that found its way into the net after being redirected. The only problem with this goal, Rafalski is an American.

What was to ensue was a hard fought battle that had both teams battling for every inch of ice and every second with the puck. Halfway through the first period, Eric Staal (Carolina Hurricanes) was able to tie the game up with a goal for Canada with the hopes of building off the momentum, but Rafalski wouldn't allow that to happen as he scored once again - 22 seconds after Staal. Team U.S.A. would go into the locker with the lead while Canada had to find a way to regroup.

And regroup they did. They came hard and often in the second period with a fury of shots early on but goalie Ryan Miller (Buffalo Sabres) came out with some stellar saves that kept the one goal lead for the Americans. But trouble came for the Americans just three minutes into the second period as the fantastic four from the Sharks hit the ice. With a classic Shark attack, Dany Heatley tied the game once again with a great goal from his usual turf right beside the net.

Again, the Americans looked to their Olympic veterans to help keep them in the game. After the Heatley goal, the Americans pushed back hard, with great back-to-back-to-back breakaways for the Americans, the Canadians, and finally ending with one last effort by the Americans. Both goalies were stellar with long-time goalie Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils) keeping Canada tied until Chris Drury (New York Rangers) sent one flying into the twine to reclaim Team U.S.A.'s lead once more. Once again, Team Canada found themselves with a one goal deficit going into the third period.

At the start of the third period, you could tell the fans were shocked by the outcome of the game so far. Canada was supposed to wipe the floor with the Americans. Even some Canadian priests said that God was rooting for the Canadian team. Team Canada only had 20 minutes now to score two goals to gain the lead, the one thing they weren't able to accomplish the whole game. The Canadians came out hard, out shooting the Americans by a wide margin, but Miller was able to stand his ground. Then, seven minutes into the third period, the third Olympic veteran deflected a great shot by Rafalski into the net. Jamie Langenbrunner (New Jersey Devils) just gave the Americans a 4-2 lead with 13 minutes left to play. That is when the stadium went dead with a sort of in awe kind of silence. In a once vibrant sea of Canadian red, white, and maple leaves was now replaced with stars and stripes scattered about the stands.

But you couldn't count out the Canadians, they pushed back hard and dominated for almost the rest of the period. With back-to-back penalties, the Americans gave the Canadians the advantage they had been looking for all night - and Sid the Kid, the heir apparent to the Great One, made them pay. Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins) was able to get the Canadians back to within one with his powerplay goal with three minutes left to play. It was 4-3, the Canadians were back in this, and the place was rocking once more.

In the waning minutes of the game, Brodeur was pulled for the extra attacker and the seemingly endless onslaught of high-powered shots began from the Canadians. It was like a shooting gallery as blast after blast came but the Americans stood their ground with great block shots from Drury and others as well as one spectacular save by Miller that literally robbed the Canadians of a game tying goal, to force the gaming into overtime. On a poorly timed change by the Canadians, Ryan Kessler (Vancouver Canucks) was able to beat Canadian Corey Perry (Anaheim Ducks) and make a diving sweep at the puck which send it careening into the open net. It was a 5-3 final, the Americans had done the impossible, beat the powerhouse that is Team Canada. The U.S.A. Team that wasn't even supposed to make any kind of splash, known as a test run for 2014 had just beaten the number one seeded team in the tournament.

While it was no medal game, it sent shockwaves throughout the hockey community as stunned Canadian fans could only look on as the American players flooded over the boards and to the ice to congratulate Miller on his amazing performance. With their win of Canada, Team U.S.A. became the number one seed in the tournament and best placing for the elimination rounds. With an extra day off, they regroup and prepared for a tough game against Switzerland. Team Canada on the other hand, had to play a special elimination round against Germany the next night to get into the next round.

Zach Parise (New Jersey Devils) helped elevate the Americans over the Swiss with his two goals while Miller gained a shutout to advance to the semifinals. Team Canada made some major changes including a goalie change to Roberto Luongo (Vancouver Canucks) and a trouncing of Team Russia, 7-3. Now, only four teams remain with the U.S.A. facing Finland and Canada going against underdog Slovakia. There is a very stong possibility that Canada and the U.S.A. will face off once more in the medal round but Finland and Slovakia very much have a say in whether it happens or not. No matter what the outcome, I have to say that even though it was just a preliminary game, it should be remembered as one of the best Olympic hockey games ever played and proves that you can't count anyone out of anything.

Update: Team U.S.A. was able to make it to the gold medal round after beating Finland 6-1, their opponent would be none other than Team Canada. The gold medal game was definitely a thriller, seeing Canada go up two early in the game. The Americans would go to tie the game with seconds left in the third period but fell in overtime, handing Canada the gold medal. While it was a huge disappointment to see Team U.S.A. lose, it definitely gives me hope of a great tournament in Sochi four years from now, especially when you consider that the Americans weren't supposed to medal at all. And not a bad outcome for the Sharks either, with five of the eight players coming away with medals. So, here's to Sochi in four years and all I can say is the gold medal round better be a rematch of U.S.A. versus Canada.

Ghosts, And Demons, And Homunculi - Oh My!

It seems as of late, my Anime choices have been following a similar theme - Ghosts, Demons, and all other things that go bump in the night. I have never been a fan of horror, even the really light horror that is more about suspense than anything. The "BOO" factor is what scares me. When you know something is around the corner but you don't know what it is, then suddenly . . . a person appears behind you and scares the living daylights out of you. But I've found myself slowing starting to get into horror, nothing like Saw but more like Edgar Allan Poe. From books to games, comics to Anime - I've found myself slowing starting to like looking for the monster hiding inside the closet or under the bed.

Ghost Hunt was my first foray into Anime horror. Following the adventures of ghost hunting group of Shibuya Psychic Research Team as they try to solve and exorcise any unwanted spirits they come across. One thing I really enjoyed about Ghost Hunt is the various backgrounds of all the members of Shibuya. There's the leader, Naru, which uses a lot of high-tech equipment similar to TAPS from Syfy's Ghost Hunters series. You have a traditional Miko, an Onmyouji, a psychic, and a Catholic priest. All of the lore of the occult and the various ways to deal with them are thoroughly explored as each story arc (consisting of around 3-4 episodes) highlights one of the member's specific talents and skills. In all honesty, there are some scary story lines in this series, with one of them really hitting home for me since it closely resembles one of my worst reoccurring nightmares. Even with all the frights - the stories, characters, and action never get dull. With a high profile revealing of a certain character's latent powers at the end of the 26 episode series leaves you wanting more.

Going back to feudal Japan has never been so exciting now that oni are roaming everywhere and it's up to Masahiro, a newly trained Onmyouji and grandson of the greatest Onmyouji in all of Japan. I have always loved Anime set in feudal Japan but most of my Anime has always dealt with the Meiji Revolution. This is the first series that really showcases some of Japan's traditional religious beliefs as well as superstitions. Unlike Ghost Hunt, Shonen Onmyouji deals a lot of high-octane action with a lot of laughs as well. While there were no real scares in this series, it was well worth watching. If you want to be entertained while learning a bit of historic Japan, Shonen Onmyouji is definitely worth checking out.

Last but not least is Rental Magica which follows Astral, an agency that rents out mages to the public. These mages for hire come in all disciplines with a Celtic Witch, a Miko, a Onmyouji, a descendant of King Solomon, a ghost, and a guy with a really cool looking eye. While the list of characters might look a little familiar, Rental Magica definitely sets itself apart from Ghost Hunt and other series like it. The day time scenes are filled with Shojo styles (a classic love triangle going on), school, and everyday high school life. But once the sun sets, the members of Astral adorn their capes and robes to fight all the slimy things that appear when magic has gone awry. Rental Magica is the only series I haven't finished, with season two expected to hit in April. But with the jaw-dropping events that closed out season one, I can only expect to see a lot of magic monsters, glowing red eyes, and "hail mistletoe" as the series ramps up one of the more interesting story arcs I've seen in a while.

Fury Before The Freeze

The Winter Olympics in Vancouver isn't affecting just the NHL players who will be competing in the games - the Olympic break will officially begin on February 15th, causing a freeze on all trading which began at 12:00pm today. There was a fury of action as GMs from all over the NHL tied up any loose ends and got the trades they wanted. While, though it's only a freeze on all trading and the official trade deadline is March 3rd, the freeze has jump started a very slow year of trading. Some big names were moved including Dion Phaneuf (traded from the Calgary Flames to the Toronto Maple Leafs) and J. S. Giguere (traded from the Anaheim Ducks to the Toronto Maple Leafs). Two major players for two of the biggest Sharks rivals - it's going to be really odd to see them in the standard blue and white of the Leafs.

The Sharks GM Doug Wilson made a few deals of his own before the freeze, including one that was announced right before the freeze. From the Carolina Hurricanes came Niclas Wallin. Big number seven is a solid and experienced defensemen with a Stanley Cup ring from 2006. The Sharks were able to pick up Wallin without having to let go of any key players, only a second round draft pick in 2010. In his first three games he's already seen solid ice time as well as getting his first assist in teal. With the Sharks defense one of their weakest points, hopefully Wallin will be able a great addition to the team.

The Sharks did lose a player with the trade of Jody Shelley to the New York Rangers for a conditional sixth round draft pick in 2011. I've always liked Shelley, he's known as an enforcer, the tough guy that will throw out big hits and drop the gloves when necessary. But with the acquisition of such players as Manny Malhotra, Jed Ortmeyer, and Scott Nichol who all have been an amazing addition to the team - Shelley's role is no longer needed. I was expecting to see Wilson offload him to another team to clear up cap space. While it's a bit sad to see a veteran like Shelley go, it's a necessary move to help propel the Sharks to the top of the league and provide the best chance at winning the Stanley Cup. With a few weeks left of trading after the Olympics end, I can only speculate what other moves will be made. While the Sharks big trade happened before the start of the season (Heatley from the Ottawa senators for Cheechoo and Michalek), don't be surprised if Doug Wilson has something else up his sleeve to throw down come March 3rd.

As an addition to my previous Winning Words post, Sharkifying The Olympics, I made an error stating that eight Sharks were going to the Olympics. While not a player, I left out a very key member of the Sharks organization that will be representing Team U.S.A. - Mike Aldrich. He is the Equipment Manager for the Sharks and was chosen to fulfill the same position for Team U.S.A. While he won't receive a medal, there is no way that any team could function without this key position and Mike is one of the best in the league. As the opening ceremonies draw closer, I can only wish the best for Mike Aldrich, Joe Pavelski, and the rest of men's hockey Team U.S.A.!

Stealing Time

I mentioned back in November 2009 about my new found love with the release of the PSN Comic Store. While it's only been three months since it's official release, I've already accumulated over one hundred comics in that time and thought that I'd share some of my favorites. I was originally going to write about some of the various Spider-Man arcs as well as a lot of my other Marvel favorites until I came to find that there are so many lesser known comics on the PSN Comic Store that deserve to get some mentioning . . . and here is one such case - Clive Barker's The Thief of Always.

Originally a book released in 1992, it was adapted as a three part comic in 2005 released by IDW Publishing with Kris Oprisko (author) and Gabriel Hernandez (artist). The story follows ten year old Harvey Swick as he wades through his mundane life of school, uninteresting teachers, and homework. Then one day, Rictus appears and tells him about a paradise for children called Holiday House. He convinces Harvey to go to the Holiday House and the rest of the story becomes a magically filled mystery as Harvey is treated to the splendors of his new home.

With its intriguing story, The Thief of Always reminds me a lot of the movie Coraline with a lot of similar themes and nuances. The story itself is unique as well as the way it is told. Hernandez's art is simple but gives you the feeling of something other-worldly. In many ways it felt like a dream that I had forgotten about or a childhood memory that you lose when you become an adult. While it was originally written as a children's book, the comic book adaption is filled with a mystery that will keep anyone interested and the art sucks you into a world that you will feel you have been to before.

The entire three part series is available on the PSN Comic Store and the best thing about it - Clive Barker's The Thief of Always will only steal your time, not your money because each issue is only $0.99 - making the complete series just a mere three dollars. You could only get one Marvel comic for that price and I guarantee that the quality of the scan is much better from IDW Publishing than it is with Marvel. If you haven't picked up anything yet from the new comic store, I definitely recommend looking out for the Thief of Always because you'll want this comic to steal your time.

Garmin Nuvi 1490T

I'll admit that I don't know much about those portable GPS systems and didn't really care all that much about them . . . that is until my father decided that he wanted one for Christmas. Since it was a gizmo (or gadget if you prefer that), it automatically fell to me to pick one out. I love how my entire family assumes I know all that there is to know about every single electronic device out there just because I claim to be a Gizmodo, a hardcore tech lover. Like when my father gave me his new Blackberry to get it all set up for him even though I hadn't touched one before in my life - though I did finally get it all set up with a bit of trial and error.

Anyway, back to the story, I went online and researched a few professional as well as consumer reviews from the basic brands that I've heard of and found that Garmin seemed to be a favorite among both review circles. Once I picked the brand, I decided to look for a model . . . did you know there are twenty-five models of Garmins? How many variations of a GPS can you have? "Oh, this T5000 can even find your lost car keys or remote control!" Honestly, how many versions do you really need to have? Considering that I had no clue what was really needed in the GPS, I went off of price, reviews, and availability - which finally brought me to the Nuvi 1490T (with the umlaut over the u that I didn't want to take the time to figure out how to actually type). Christmas day, after all the trash was cleaned up and everything put away, my family took a trip to try out the new GPS. I live in a pretty rural area and was a bit worried that even with the fancy GPS, some of the sort of non-existing roads wouldn't show up. Luckily, it worked perfectly fine and surprisingly well.

Not only can you input an address and it will take you there, it also can estimate time of arrival very accurately, to the minute. It also displays the speed limit and elevation. You can search for restaurants or gas stations in the area and you can also save the more common destinations so you don't have to re-enter it every time you need to go there. A great feature is when you're in the bigger cities, it will actually show you what the various lane mergers look like and flash a white arrow when you need to change lanes as well as announce it by voice. Which brings me to the coolest and worst thing about the Nuvi. You can choose various speakers from a female American to a male Australian and everything else you can think of which is pretty cool. You can even set it to Japanese as well, which was fun. I did have it originally set to the male British voice (his name was Daniel . . . yes, they actually give you their names) but my father couldn't quite understand anything he said with his heavy accent so we stuck with Joe, the American. The bad thing about the voices is how many times they tell you "turn left on Murray Road". They will actually announce it before you get close to the turn, when you are at the stop, and once again when you are actually turning. Three times does the voice repeat itself . . . which can be quite annoying when you have multiple turns within only a few miles of each other.

Other than the fact that the Nuvi talks too much, the other features work amazingly well. It even automatically updates itself with new maps and data which saves me the hassle of having to manually do it. Overall, it works really well and my father has been very pleased with it. Plus, he no longer gets lost on his long trips down south which is the best thing about the Garmin Nuvi 1490T.

Sharkifying The Olympics

With the 2010 Vancouver Olympics only days away, I can't help but get a little excited, specially because this time around, the Olympics have been Sharkified. As dozens of the NHL's best players were selected to represent their countries, the Sharks received a special honor of having the most players chosen to play hockey at the international level - eight in total. Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, Dany Heatley, and Dan Boyle for Team Canada, Joe Pavelski for Team U.S.A., Evgeni Nabokov for Team Russia, Douglas Murray for Team Sweden, and Thomas Greiss for Team Germany. It's odd for me to look through the rosters of all the countries playing and seeing everyday rivals turned into teammates and teammates turned into opponents. I'm not sure who I'm even rooting for, of course I'm all for Team U.S.A. but with having the majority of the Sharks on Team Canada, it's going to be hard to watch them play against each other when these two titans clash on Day 10.

As for who is going to walk away with the gold medal? My money is on Team Canada, they have a lot to prove this time around since they haven't gotten the gold since 2002. I truly believe this is Canada's gold medal to lose and I can't imagine what will happen if they do lose the gold on home ice . . . can't imagine. Dany Heatley is a bona fide villian in Canada because of the whole trade fiasco. He was seen as a traitor because not only did he ask to leave the Ottawa Senators, he refused to go to the Edmonton Oilers and instead moved down to sunny San Jose. While I and the rest of the Sharks fans appreciate his move, many Canadians could not understand why a Canadian player would choose to not play with a Canadian team. So if Canada loses the gold, there are going to be twenty-three players that are going to be black-listed.

As for Team U.S.A., they are looking very promising this time around. With Ron Wilson (the Sharks old head coach) taking the reins, as well as a shift to younger players - Team U.S.A. could medal which they failed to do in Torino. I'm hopeful that they can make it to the medal round but realistically, they are going to have a hard time getting there. Their late match-up with Team Canada, could make things very interesting though.

As for the other teams that the Sharks are on, Team Sweden is the defending gold medalist so expect them to be in the hunt, Team Russia is always a powerhouse not to underestimate, and while Team Germany has never won a gold - look for them to put in a decent run at a medal chance.

I am seriously worried about the Sharks though. With the Olympic break, it's caused all the other games usually played during this time to be pushed ahead, causing a lot of back-to-back games later down the road - a time that every win is essential. Plus, teams with high number of Olympians tend to do poorly in the post-season because of injury and fatigue. Taking these stats with the fact that you have eight key players playing two weeks more of hockey - it has to make you wonder about the Sharks chances for post-season success. No doubt they will get into the Playoffs, but don't forget, there is no next year to win the Stanley Cup. Doug Wilson has already promised major changes if the Sharks don't go deep in the playoffs . . . he moved over a dozen Sharks players after last year's upset - I can't imagine what he will do this year if the Sharks fail. Plus, with major players like Patrick Marleau and Evgeni Nabokov up for free agency next season, the face of the entire franchise could be completely revamped.

So I'm definitely worried about the impact these Olympic games will have on the Sharks and their bid for the Stanley Cup. You have the number one scoring line (Marleau, Thornton, Heatley), the number one offensive defensemen (Boyle), the number one defensive defensemen (Murray), the number one goalie (Nabokov), the number one utility player (Pavelski), and the back-up goalie (Greiss) all playing two weeks more of intense hockey. My main concern is with Nabokov, he is known as a workhorse around the league for racking up a lot of games (he's already on a 70 game pace) but that hasn't always been a good thing. While in the regular season, Nabby is stellar but once the post-season hits, he seems to lose his edge. He is crucial for the Sharks to get out of this early exit habit and with him playing even more hockey, I don't know if he'll be able to hold it together for the Playoffs. In all honesty, international hockey is very . . . weak. Rules are different and while you get a lot of great games, it is nothing like the speed and physicality that you find in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. I'm sure all of the Sharks players will do well in the Olympics, I just hope that they still leave some gas in the tank for playoff time.

One player I do think will benefit from playing Olympic hockey is back-up netminder Thomas Greiss. With Nabby playing so much, Greiss hasn't seen much action, so to be able to consistently play will help improve his game. He's a good goaltender but I doubt his consistency and his ability to step up to the plate if something happens to Nabokov in the post-season. Even with all the worries I'm still excited about seeing so many Sharks representing their respective countries and can't wait to see the games get underway. Plus, I'll be able to enjoy two sports that I rarely get to see - curling and women's hockey. So get ready to enjoy some great international competition and maybe a few upsets as well.