Happy Thoughts

We (I) bitch on this blog to the degree that you might think I do nothing but bitch when I discuss hockey. You might also think I do nothing but bitch.

You'd be correct.

But, on this the morning after a hockey event second only to an Islanders win in the glory of fandom, a meaningful Rangers loss, I am not going to bitch. Instead, I will list some things that make me happy, and then bury them in a field never again to be discussed.

Hockey things that make me happy:

1. The Islanders winning.
2. The Rangers losing. There is a difficult calculus here in determining what combination of these events can lead to happiness. For instance, given two scenarios, a) the Islanders make it to the Eastern Conference Final, but the Rangers win the Stanley Cup, or b) the Islanders don't make the playoffs, and the Rangers don't make the playoffs. I'll take b. I know that makes me something bad. I'll take it.
3. Geno Malkin getting angry.
4. Playing ball hockey outdoors at an old, abandoned tennis court on a beautiful Saturday morning.
5. "Vintage Games" on the NHL Network. Although it would be nice to not see the Oilers beat the Islanders for the 160th time this year. Let's not forget the Isles won a few before '84 ... .
6. Hearing a Fleetwood Mac song and thinking first of "Slap Shot," then wondering why Stevie Nicks didn't sing every song.
7. Reading a story about the nonsensical border policies hurting US-Canadian economies in border cities, and thinking, "well, the occasional Canadian hockey announcer/writer may annoy the piss out of me, but I might have to buy a Hockey Canada hat to show solidarity on the 'no passport' issue."
8. Hockey blogs: Today's best, theoryofice.blogspot.com.
9. This:

10. The smell of ice and popcorn.

Expect more today. But I am tired for now. 10:55 a.m.

Tuesday. I'm back with more ... .

11. This gives me mixed feelings, but in my new, calmer state, I will take some joy in others' happiness. And I will take some joy in not having D. Phaneuf skating at me full throttle with his stick up. Mike Keenan annoys me to piss, but I still have a soft, Falconerovesque spot for the Flames. Maybe it's the old orange ... .

12.



















13. Knee hockey.
14. Bubble hockey. Only counts if the game features the Russia v. USA. Others are imposters.
15. The Creeker in Ithaca -- the first bar we knew of to carry The Satellite Thing.
16. The Old Ithaca Sports Club. Another place with Satellite. For many of us, this led to our first exposure to Hockey Night in Canada.
17. NHL 94.
18. Diamond Dave Edick's Start-O-Matic hockey collection.
19. Tom Mees.
20. Cornell v. Harvard at Lynah Rink. But remember, BYOB.