Welcome Back, Welcome Back

I nearly destroyed my Xbox $399 last night, after losing a sixth consecutive game to what is a notoriously "bullshit" CPU on NHL 08. Go here for for both sides of this gripe. Or, if you find yourself with a life more interesting than my infant-dominated, hour-to-work each way eternal gestation, don't. Read or something.

As I've mentioned previously, I took the Minnesota Wild this year on 08, trying to unloose the oh!ffense for a Cup run (with a little help from reasonable, yet inescapably tilted) trades for Olli Jokinen and Joe Corvo. I'm middling around 4th in the Western Conference, struggling with defense and crap goaltending with Backstrom hurt and the video Josh Harding suffering from last year's ratings far more than his real-life counterpart.

Here's the thing though: I don't give a shit anymore. That, of course, might be a natural course for the emotional and social evolution of a 30-year-old married father of two, but I would suggest that evolution ends at birth.

I miss the Isle. Generally, my nerves can't handle the two-fers that occur so often during an Isles season, real and virtual: The big club loses, I fire up the Xbox and the little club loses, and it's alarmingly damaging to my psyche. But I am going back. Back to call up Kyle Oh!poso, back to call up Tambellini, back to trade Jon Sim for a freebie d-man. And back to cut Andy Sutton's ass.

It is the only upside of the real Islanders playing like this: I can actually play better than the real Islanders using a game that has made me consider giving up video games altogether.

We shall see.

Unrelated hockey thought

I heard last week or so on a Canadian talk radio show that will remain unnamed (rhymes with HNIK), one of the commentators posit that Mats Sundin, were he to not accept a trade to a Cup-contending team, would be guilty of displaying a Lack of Desire to Win the Cup.

That, my friends, is the ESPN side of the Canadian hockey media, and one reason many stars are happy to play in America.

Bat shit crazy.

Updated with post-game thoughts

1. Dave Jackson? Thanks. Asshole.

2. When the fuck did Howie and Billy the Turd decide to start calling Michel Therrien "Mike"? What the fuck.

3. Comeau should have been wearing water wings for that dive in the third.

4. Mike Comrie? Fantasy beast. And not a terrible fight, either. Asshole must have said something about Hillary.

5. Deb looks nice in red. Cuddly.

6. Celebrity Rehab would be a hell of a lot more interesting if they voted someone off each episode.

7. Pitchers and catchers?