Friday

[ksmith]

Watching Rachel Maddow on Countdown. I like her. Unlike other guest hosts, she doesn't try to emulate Keith Olbermann's style and delivery. Only KO can do KO. Yes, at times he sounds like the class smartass. But for the most part, his guest hosts have sounded like the class feebs trying to imitate the class smartass, and not quite succeeding.

A week ago at this time, the Ninc cocktail reception was winding down. I think I was heading out to dinner at a local Irish pub, of which there were several in the immediate area. I cannot for love or money recall what I had. However, the next day we went to the same place, and I had the best grilled tuna steak I think I've ever eaten.

What I should have had at some point were the fish 'n' chips. So many folks ordered them, and said that the fish was really tasty. Of course, I tried to be good, sticking with grilled foods and low carb...until the day I came home, when I cracked and got an order of batter fried cod from the local fast food place. Somehow, it didn't quite measure up.

Writing on tap for tonight, with the first Rings movie playing in the background. The Blackhawks are out of the playoffs, thanks to the Predators' win. It's too bad. The franchise has come to life in the past few months, and they have some great young players. Next year, all the games will be televised, and I'm looking forward to them. Must get hold of a jersey at some point. Must learn the rules of the game at some point.

Cubs lost. They're 1-3 so far.

Tax refund appeared in checking account via the magic of electronic deposit. Nice.

Comments

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

When do players need to go back and cross the blue line?

I found this page, which seems basic enough that I can understand. I'm still at the 'it all looks like a muddle on ice' stage. I think everyone can skate everywhere, and well, they can't.

[pmrabble.livejournal.com]

OK. Offsides is when someone on the attacking team crosses the blue line ahead of the puck. Basically the puck has to beat both skates into the attacking zone. So occasionally you'll see a forward straddling the blue line with a skate on either side waiting for the person with the puck to shoot the puck in or carry it in.

So basically if the defending team gets the puck out of their zone, all the attacking team has to leave the zone too. It keeps teams from "poaching" and sitting a forward in front of the goal.

With me so far?

Delayed offsides is when the puck is shot into the zone trapping someone in who hasn't managed to get out of the zone yet. (Puck cleared, then shot back in). If the player in the zone AND the player who shot the puck in are both well away from the play, then the person caught inside the zone can skate out and back in without being caught offsides. But if the puck gets too close in the judgment of the ref or linesman, they can call offsides.

Does that help any?

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

A little. I need to make myself flashcards or something.

What's "icing"? I ask because I've seen instances that were called icing, and ones that weren't, and couldn't tell the diff.

[pmrabble.livejournal.com]

Icing is when the defensive team shoots the puck across the red line (middle of the rink), the blue line, and the end line. It gets waved off if the other team "could have" touched the puck as it went by - which is yet another judgment call by an official.

If you're shorthanded, icing become legal. I know, it's kind of odd to get an advantage when you're serving a penalty.

In the pros, icing is also called off if an offensive player gets to the puck (after it crosses the end line) before a defensive player. It's kind of the "long bomb" equivalent.

It's also what got Kurtis Foster's leg broken a little bit back. An Anaheim player (Mitchell?) was trying to get to the puck before Foster could touch it, but accidentally hit Foster and knocked him into the end boards.