What An NHL Lockout Means to Me

There's a lot of talk of the potential for an NHL lockout, and the likelihood of one seems to be growing immensely with each passing day.  As September 15 (the date the current collective bargaining agreement expires) draws nigh, I have been thinking about what impact an NHL lockout will have on me as a fan.  Since I have this blog and I haven't really used it in a few months, I figured I can share with the handful of people who stumble across this site by accident.  Here are one man's thoughts on the looming NHL lockout.

Filling the Trophy Case: 2012 NHL Awards Predictions

The season has come to a close with the LA Kings as our new Stanley Cup champions, but now we must move on to handing out a few more trophies.  With our finalists already announced, the Adams, Hart, Vezina, Norris, Selke, Calder, Lady Byng, Masterton, and Lindsay will make their appearances in Las Vegas and be given to their worthy candidate.  Today, the Elsinore All-Stars' own Reg Dunlop and Doug McKenzie make their picks for who will win at tonight's ceremony.

The Final Countdown: Stanley Cup Final Picks

After 7 weeks, only the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils are left standing and square off tonight in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.  Before the games begin, the Elsinore All-Stars make their picks for who they think will lift Lord Stanley's Cup and take home the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Kissing Your Grandmother: A Conference Finals Recap of Sorts

"If a tie is like kissing your sister, losing is like kissing you grandmother with her teeth out." - George Brett

With the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils set to face off in the Stanley Cup Final, the vanquished Phoenix Coyotes and New York Rangers are left to wonder what could have been.  Before the Stanley Cup Final begins, the Elsinore All-Stars look at the Coyotes and Rangers to offer up their thoughts on why those teams are sitting at home.

Hit 'Em With Your Purse: The CBC and Women in Sports Media

Masculinity and hockey go hand in hand with the fast-pace of the game teamed together with aggressive checking and enforcer heavy-weight bouts. The social implications of watching this testosterone-heavy sport meets a crossroads when talk is based on gender as it is with nearly every other sport. Men are automatically accepted into the hockey fandom, while women are forced to prove to men that they belong in on the fun and not around to stare at their icons so to speak. In the series, Hit 'Em With Your Purse, a woman's perspective becomes the lens to discuss the negativity around and among women hockey fans with a special focus on this post on the recent creation of a new CBC television program.

The Steps of Hope: A Second Round Recap of Sorts

"How disappointment tracks the steps of hope." - L.E.L.

While it stings plenty to lose in any playoff round, the second round is a uniquely bitter pill to swallow.  It's the round when fans of the remaining teams see their hope begin to transform into being convinced that their favorite team has what it takes to win it all.  Alas, four of eight teams didn't have what it took.  With that in mind, the Elsinore All-Stars will do a postmortem on the four teams that now find themselves clean shaven and enjoying a summer vacation.

Conference Call: Conference Finals Picks

We're 5 weeks in and it's time for the Conference Finals.  The first two rounds have provided some of the most entertaining playoff hockey we've ever seen, so hockey fans can only hope this next round is as entertaining as the previous two.  The playoff beards are scraggly, the bumps and bruises continue to mount, and the 4 remaining teams see the light at the end of the tunnel.  With games beginning tonight, the Elsinore All-Stars are going on record and making their picks for the Conference Finals.