Yesterday, I went through my photobucket album and pulled out all of the Elliott and Sherman's Tank photoshops, but those are far from the only ones I've made over the past year. Just as xskatebakerrx did two years ago, I've decided to post them all in one spot so that they're easier to find when they're needed. I've also included some notable ones from other people that have become regulars sights on MHH in the past 12 months and a brief description of a few of them.
I know I've missed quite a few, so if you have them handy, we can post them in the comments.
Related: The Chronicles of Elliott and Sherman's Tank Revisited; The Top 10 Most Satisfying Ways to Get Rid of the Tank
Lawinengefahr:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the original credit for this meme goes to RandyTime. Lawinengefahr is German for Avalanche Warning, and it's become a rallying point for wins over the past few years. No one quite knows what the guinea pig has to do with it, but he's become a sort of unofficial mascot for the Avs. So naturally, I put my own spin on it. I even included one referencing this commercial and the concept of Regulation or Overtime Wins (ROW), a stat that helps determine playoffs. And I've also added Lawinegefahr's usual companions - the W flag that we fly at the end of victories and the cat that gets posted every time we score (neither are mine).
Original meme
Our Analysts - The Avs' Optimistic Spectrum:
The first two are mine - I made them after another member (can't remember who) suggested I put eggs over our Color Commentator's eyes to represent his optimistic view on everything. Peter "Sunnyside" McNab always sees the best in players and teams even when it's very clear they're completely hopeless, and he often expresses these opinions in ways that don't exactly make any sense - such as saying that 30 is DIFFERENT than 20. The last image from Ryan_Classic is one of our newpaper beat writer, Adrian Dater. I just came across it today and think we should resurrect it because it sums up Dater's views on just about everything (except Stefan Elliott).
Avalanche Kool-aid:
The Lawn:
Adam Foote was our oldest player last year, and he had a bit of a... cantankerous.... disposition. Any time a player would come into his area of the ice or mess with one of the younger players, he'd show them who's boss and in essence tell them to "get off his lawn". This year, he's no longer with the team, so the job of "Defending the Lawn" was open. Shane O'Brien has stepped in nicely (and yes, I know he's left-handed, but certain sacrifices must be made in the name of composition). It's not surprising that he was able to take over so quickly though - this isn't his first stint on the Lawn (check out Vancouver's number 55 in the first image. I swear I had no idea we were going to sign him when I made that). And for anyone curious, the hooligans that O'Brien is clearing off are Sutton, Bertuzzi, and Torres.
Goalie Woes:
We certainly had our share last year. Elliott and his Tank became an on-going meme for the rest of the season and sparked quite a few "They got the Memo" and "Obligatory Goal" pictures as well as a string of GDT pics. He did have one good.... not completely horrible game for us, so I made a picture for the recap. Needless to say, I think I only posted it once.
2011-12: The New Goalies
After last year, a couple cardboard cutouts of Roy would have been a goaltending upgrade, but we lucked out over the summer and acquired both Semyon Varlamov and JS Giguere instead. Both have had their ups and downs this year, but for the most part, they've been pretty solid for us. So naturally, I made some photoshops about it.
GDT Add-ons:
Occasionally when I was making the Tank Pictures, I ended up make a couple other images that corresponded with that game's theme. The first image went along with Edition 12: The A-Team and was inspired by a memorable scene in the new movie where the team flys a tank. The next two were from Edition 17: The Bang-Bang brothers. Since I needed headshots for the Wanted poster, I decided that I might as well make full-sized versions as well.
The 2011 Draft:
Since it was just about the only thing keeping us from going completely off the ledge for the first eight months of 2011, I have quite a few pictures focused around the draft. Landeskog was my early favorite, so many of the pictures revolve around him, although I had to of course do a small tip of the hat to Pracey and comment on Siemens' disposition.
Ryan O'Byrne:
Not soon after I started posting here, Taylor Hall decided that ROB needed a closer shave. However, O'Byrne decided to finish his entire shift while dripping blood from a gash that would later require 100 stitches. Due to this feat of complete badassery, I made a few photoshops featuring him as the main subject.
Matt Duchene and his big goals:
I can't remember which goal it was exactly, but after scoring a big goal late in the game, Matt Duchene jumped up onto the boards right above the "I'm Thinking Arby's" advertisement and prompted Kyle Keefe to make a comment about it. I pulled this together to commemorate it.
Mark Olver:
One thing's for sure, the guy has heart, and he's inspired two different photoshops during his call up because of it. I'm not sure who the Olvertine one is from (maybe Americanario?), but it's worth mentioning since it's still often posted.
The Power of Visualization:
Ever wonder what a player/prospect would look like in an Avs jersey? On a few occasions, I did. In fact, my first post on this site featured Crosby wearing our Captain's C. Also included: Marc-Andre Fleury and Ilya Bryzgalov (we were VERY desperate for good goalies last year), Avs' prospect and current concussee Joey Hishon, and the Big 4 from last year's draft (RNH, Landeskog, Huberdea, and Larsson)
Remembering Lokomotiv:
After the horrible plane crash that cost the lives of the entire roster, the hockey community came together to show support for the families of the fallen team. This was my contribution. RIP Lokomotiv players.
Trolling the Division:
It's pretty established that we don't like the Flames, Wild, or Oilers, so any chance we get to troll their fanbase is a good one. The first two images (the Flames, also known as the fLames), make fun of Matchsticks and Gasoline's obsession with advanced statistics and their team's inability to make it to the post season. The next two images (The Wild, also know as the Mild), make fun of Hockey Wilderness's denial of regression and BRey's infamous "Despicable" comments about Peter Forsberg last year. And the last image... well, judging by where the Oilers have drafted the past two years, I think it pretty well sums up their team.
