Mike's Miscellany

I've been toying with an idea for a somewhat regular article for a couple of weeks now.  Joe has his Avalanche Stuff Watch™ and DD has his stats with all the pretty colors and linetypes so I figured I should do SOMETHING.  Anyway, you guys and gals have picked my brain on goaltending stuff recently, but you can only talk about Theo, what bad positioning looks like, and the fascinating world of catching glove breaks so much before you swear off hockey altogether.  So I needed something else.  Something unique.  Something I could do with little forethought or effort.  And then it struck me:  Random thoughts that have little to no bearing on anybody but me! So here goes, the first installment of Mike's Miscellany!

mis·cel·la·ny  -    /ˈmɪsəˌleɪni; Brit. mɪˈsɛləni/ Pronunciation Key - [mis-uh-ley-nee; Brit. mi-sel-uh-nee]
–noun, plural -nies.

1. a miscellaneous collection or group of various or somewhat unrelated items.  

2. a miscellaneous collection of literary compositions or pieces by several authors, dealing with various topics, assembled in a volume or book.  

3. miscellanies, a miscellaneous collection of articles or entries, as in a book.  

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• Watching Olie the Goalie the last couple games in Washington (including the Pittsburg and Toronto games) has been painful.  I think his projected retirement date should have read 2007, but unfortunately the Caps don't have anybody to take the reins.
• Shut-down defensemen are irritating.  Just ask Ilya Kovalchuk. Although, in this case, a one game suspension may be a good thing because Kovalchuk won't have to endure another humiliating defeat at the hands of the Rangers.
• If the playoffs started today, only one Southeast Division and one Central Division team would be in.  Things that make you go hmmmm.
• I still hate the Avs home uni's.  The color-block on the sleeves annoys me every time I watch them play.  For that alone, I'm in favor of switching back to home whites.
• The Forechecker has chimed in with a look ahead for all the NHL teams.  According to his analysis, the Avs are tied for the 8th hardest remaining schedule (based on Opponents GF/GA).  More gloom and doom if the Avs don't start scoring more goals.
• This cracked me up!
• I've recently been shopping for hockey crests to put on a couple of my practice jerseys.  I like to have something on the front to give the shooters to aim at rather than the acres of open net that I tend to show.  So far I've picked up a Renegades script crest for my Anahiem 3rd (the purple, black and silver one).  I also need something for a Preds away jersey.  I've got a grey practice jersey (with navy shoulders) that needs a little something.  I'm leaning toward a sweet South Carolina Stingrays crest, but I'm open to other options.  Any suggestions?