Split personality. Liking the arts, especially opera, and hockey and Los Toros. I know, I know THAT one is non pc currently. But I can't help it saw some in Spain and got hooked, but good.
But on the other hand right now opera and hockey are in the forefront!
and what happens! Just "waking up" to the stunner of a trade.. (It has to be that injection at the dentist today-because a tooth needed pulling)
Jeff Penner
Anton Khudobin for one man (in America)
Jeff Penner, 23 (4/13/87), has posted 19 points (5-14=19) and is a plus-10 in 57 games with the AHL’s Providence Bruins this season. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenseman from Steinbach, Man., notched a career-high 35 points (7-28=35) in 68 games with Providence in the 2009-10 season. He made his NHL debut with Boston on March 9, 2010, at Toronto. Penner, originally signed by Boston as an undrafted free agent, played one season of collegiate hockey at Alaska-Fairbanks.
Mikko Lehtonen
and one man (still skating in far off Europe): Lehtonen, 23 (4/1/87), ranks second in the Swedish Elite League in scoring this season, racking up 56 points (29-27=56) in 52 games with Skelleftea. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound winger from Espoo, Finland, spent two seasons with AHL Providence (2008-10), posting 103 points (51-52=103) in 150 games. Lehtonen participated in the AHL All-Star Game in 2010. He played two games in Boston, including his NHL debut on April 11, 2009, at Buffalo. Lehtonen represented Finland in both the 2005-06 and 2006-07 IIHF World Junior Championships. He was Boston’s third-round pick (No. 83 overall) in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.
AS If Endras wasn't enough, who also still skates over there!
To Anton Khudobin-Dosvidanya or something like that...and the best of luck!
So now I better change my photo spread atop this blog to ???
Josh Tordjman... in red hot pads! Or ?? Any suggestions by chers readers?
Despite large attendance at the game and the corresponding NOISE Rockford wins 3-2 over Aeros.
The Icehogs skated as if it mattered not and they really have nothing to loose, sitting at the last spot in the West with just 55 points.
In the 1. no goals, lost of furious skating, no penalties.
At start of 2. Rockford scored (Taafe), then Klinkhammer (kinda appropriate lol).
Then on a PP, Casey Wellman scored a goal for Aeros and for quite a while in 2. and 3.
it seemed destined to be a lonely goal!
Scuffle
Hackett rising from the red sea
Dangling legs and open ears ?
There was seldom a cohesive play!
Lots of scuffling-no penalties called for that:
Earl loosing pucks, passing it behind him directly onto the stick of Rockford player.
Pretty passing wasting PP minutes-sounds all to familiar!
Collisions with Icehog players send a few Aeros to the bench for Jody Green's tender care-thankfully nothing serious!
Most showed up for the autograph session, including the healthy (Fraser, Kalus) and injured (Cuma) scratches.
In the 3.Makarov made it 3-1 for Rockford.
Both teams had 3 on 5 PP chances, but only Gillies, with a puck from Buck, raced toward Toivonen and SCORED a shorthanded goal (5 on 3)! It really was an awesome thing to see. It happened so darn quick I could not catch it with my camera at all.
A real beauty of a goal! For that alone the afternoon was a winner!
Even if the AEROS lost by 1 point!
RED KNIGHT!
And in the last couple minutes Aeros poured it on, but could not prevail against Hannu Toivonen,
a RED knight for The Icehogs saving 36 of 38.
He just had a real good afternoon, saver after save!
He's real quicksilver, and so flexible.
Matt Hackett in net for Aeros with 18 of 21, a couple times he too, tried saves with everything... doing a reasonable Khudobin imitation..sprawling. Revenge will be enacted, we hope, on Wednesday March 2.
In the West Aeros trail Admirals, followed by Texas, while OKC and Peoria are tied for 4, Rampage and Wolves tied in 5 all photos below by artandhockey..
Catch!
Ah, that feels good!
Ortmeyer faces 4 foes
If one can't beat Hannu, one just joins him in the net!
Nostalgia has been raising its emotional head lately!
Signs of encroaching decrepitude? :-)!
Vienna, you alone shall be the city of my dreams.
How true!
After mumble years away, the city of my dreams still is and always will be
-my Vienna. I keep remembering her fondly. Always full of music. Full of unexpected surprises - just around the corner. Just down that little lane.
Just behind those big doors - a miracle garden.
And full of desserts, and OMG what desserts!
Mozartkugeln, Marzipantorte. Apfelstrudel, Marillenknoedel. Mokkatorte. Oblatentorte, Kaiserschmarrn. Kastanienreis mit Schlag - to you that's whipped cream or for the Germans Sahne! Malkofftorte mit Schlag
Chocolaty cream puffs, lighter than air.
Chestnuts hot from the fire.
Foehnwind whistling down from the mountains. And giving some a headache-excuse for not...
working too hard.
Gotta have our Gabel fruehsteuck, our afternoon Jause!
Life's too short to'waste'on work, ha!
New strong wine (Heuriger) tartly sweet.
Mellow 'old' wine (Alter) deceptively mild.
Both are best enjoyed outdoors soon after the wine has aged..often by special invitation of the vintner to his/her Stammkunden only! And with good friends!
Or even strangers, Wine makes friends of many :-)!
But both creating music from the vines alone, no need for musicians.
Schrebergarten hut (maybe on the Schmelz)
Comedians and satirists. Galgenhumor, a Viennese speciality.
Laughter is in the air. Live is good. Live and let live.
Have a little love affair. or have several.
Strolling hand in hand and arm in arm.
The Schmelz: formerly Imperial army parade gound,
then a maze of little gardens with tiny huts for the weekend vacationer/orchard growers.
(now alas just rows upon rows of apartment buildings- I know one has to live somewhere, but...)
Cherries, sweet, Cherries sours (my face), tiny flavorful strawberries,
Ribisel (Currants) black, red and white.
Gooseberries..with their hairy skin, yet so crunchy.
"Kuess d'Hand Gnae Frau! Habe die Ehre, Herr Graf!" -
in those days, these were typical addresses in polite society!
Charm, that vaunted Viennese charm, makes all so vibrant! People drink to brotherhood with linked arms and call all DU! Velvet glove hides claws.. that IS the Viennese temperament. The ability to laugh at oneself. The ability to 'manage things' somehow and somewhat without resorting to overt violence, the need to be 'gemuetlich' in all things-that is so uniquely Viennese. Is it because the Viennese are such a misch masch of folks?
Influenced by the West (think Habsburg Spain-the World where the sun is said to never set).
And by the East, Hungary, Galizia, Herzegowina, Bukowina, Romania, and other Asian parts.
Have the Viennese inherited some genes from Tartaric, Hunnic, Awaric, Roman invaders?
All seems possible in my Vienna of many cultures!
Cafehouses invite to linger. Heated discussions with friends over hot Coffee and papers. Solving the world's problems-well, we thought so then. Little did we know how much worse was to happen!
Small glasses of Hochquellenwasser refilled endlessly.
Black Coffee, Melange, a small brown, Espresso,
Einspaenner with whipped cream.
Punschkrapferl, Kapuzinerkrapfen, Wiener Eiskaffee on the dog days of summer a welcome refresher,
Cremeschnitte, Sachertorte, Kastanienreis mit Schlag, Faschingskrapfen. Mohr im Hemd, Guglhupf!
Demels, Aida, Gerstners ... I can still see and smell and taste those sweets!
Serbian Bean or Gulyas soup on a cold morning after a ball.
Music that simply needs to be danced in the arms of friend.
Or hummed or whistled.
Concerts, Classical and Cafe dance.
Operas in the Staatsoper, on the lake in Bregenz,
in Mozart's city of Salzburg.
Indoors and outdoors.
Operettas at the Volksteater, Burgenland on the lake stage, in castle courtyards, en plein aire.
Plays, Burgtheater, Akademiethater, Volkstheater, Summer festivals.
Street entertainers.
From around the world they come to busk in the streets of Vienna and others.
Organ players with monkeys.
Accordionists, Violinists, Trumpeters, Singers, Harpists.
Sundays trips by streetcar to the nearest Vienna Woods.
Leisurely hikes through woods filled with fragrant flowers.
Those tiny violets with their strong woodsy scent.
Snowdrops poking out from snow still on the ground.
Chetsnut tree's blossoms like proud candles
Lilies of the Valley, Woodruff,
Delicate anemonies swinging in the breeze.
And the smell, THE smell of Lilacs, lilac, pink and white blossoms sending their olfactory message far out into the world.
Children (yes, me too) hopscotching, rolling marbles,
sliding down anything one can - on ice, on marble, on banisters.
Sledding down steep side streets empty of cars-then!
Snowball fights, snow angels in the City.
.
Walking home from the grandparents on a still Christmas Eve Night, snow falling softly.
And behind every window the sudden flares of a real-candle-lit Christmas tree!
Bundling up for Midnight Mass.
Hearing 'Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht' (Silent Night) sung by many voices,
and yet so tranquil and introspective.
The scent of the censers being swung stately perfuming the air.
The Latin words of the mass spoken in awe.. none in the vernacular then.
Images, oh so many images, crowding in.
From a happy childhood that did not realize the deprivations that were suffered after WWII.
Bomb craters of house cellars became ice rinks
(broke my right wrist once, scraped numerous knees and elbows, cut fingers)
but it was so much fun!
Walking on the fresh snow of an early morning breaking a first trail-pristine, unsullied.
That undescribable feeling of being on top in a white clean good world.
Well, THAT was the Vienna of my youth, still reeling from the devastations of WW II, but for a child full of magic.
Walking down to the Westbahnhof and dreaming of far flung places... Geneva, Paris, London, Brussels, watching well-dressed people (yes they dressed to travel then-furs and jewelry-a safer world?) stepping out of sleepers, diners.
The ne plus ultra of travel for me, then and still preferred!
And that WAS my Vienna, seen through the eyes of an unspoiled child, a lonely child, with big wishes for adventure in the wide world... who ended up in the USA!
(went to pool, went shopping while it uploaded-yes 1 1/2 hours)
to post this on the blog!
A little clip from the 2/22 game..just some skating, a few goalie moves,
there was NO fight, a little 'get outta my way' in front at the net....BUT......
Now if only my crystal ball could tell me in advance when a goal will be scored - so I can immortalize it in the few seconds it takes to slap the puck in!!
But I shall get better at using my point'n shoot to take a few video clips! Just for the hell of seeing those 'ants scurrying to and fro'..LOL! In anticipation of tomorrow's game vs. Rockford on Sunday here, having no intention to drive to Austin today to watch Aeros at Cedar Park, for a change. And then there is one more game vs Rockford on Wednesday. Then we're off to see Everblades, Blackhawks/Senators vs Panthers plus hear 'I Lombardi' and 'The Crucible'! And enjoy some beachy sun! :-)!
T'was the night of the come back.
Aeros leave Stars less brightly shining.
In the first period the Stars, by Wathier, slammed one past Anton Khudobin. Moaning by fans started, quickly extinguished when Prosser with Buck and Scandella evened the sore. Later followed by a goal by DiSalvatore with O'Sullivan and Rau.
McMillan vs Tousignant
Kassian vs Gazdic
A fight broke out between
arch enemies MacMillan and Tousignant,
And shortly thereafter Kassian went fist to fist with Gazdic..and skated to the box pumping his victory fists! (remember Love?).
In the Second, Texas came back with a goal by Gazdic.
Despite having 7 PP opportunities Aeros managed only 2 conversions into goals, in the 1. and in OT, later more on that!
Missed that one, sorry guys!
Kinda seemed to me that the Aeros went flagging a bit in the second, they had 14 SOGs in 1. only 11 in 2. but ratcheted it back up with16 in 3.
While the Stars faded visibly from 13 to 6 with a brief flare of 17 in 2
Nevertheless it was an exciting game.
Both Goalies made good to great saves.
A defense was present.
And the offense was pushing.
And another fight broke up the rapid flow - Lukowich vs Noreau at the end of the 2.
And with Aeros 3 : Stars 3 we went into OT.
At only 29 seconds into OT, Casey Wellman, he of the Hat trick earlier in the season,
slammed home the winning puck..with a little help from O'Sullivan and Noreau.
And so the Aeros left the field victorious, as they have done several times vs the Stars!
Khudobin really heated up his saves...33 out of 36.
Bachmann was not far behind in save percentage.
HE stopped 39 of 43.
I guess, opponents have O'Sullivans number!
He seemed to be the prey of many a Star.
They squeezed him at the glass.They boxed him in!
And yet, he had 3 assists.
Looks to me the combo O'Sullivan, DiSalvatore, now again Wellman, and/or Noreau is working rather well. McMillan showed some talent in getting face offs, as did Rau.
So having Peters called up North did not really leave that big hole.
Kalus did a reasonable imitation of an avalanche "get out of my way or else" ,
As did DiSalvatore-battling for space in front, ready to score!
Buck is looking real good, he almost had a goal. He gained confidence in chasing after the puck,
passed well. He forechecked effectively as did Gillies.
Earl did OK, not great, but OK as did Daoust. And others.
Anyway, it was a joy to behold an inspired-fired up (those 20 minutes or more seclusion after the last miseerable loss must have done it!)team of skaters and scorers.
2 PP goals in one night for the Aeros, almost a miracle.
Although the Stars also had one, with fewer PP opportunites, I may add!
3 Stars - natch all Aeros this time :
1. Wellman, 2. DiSalvatore, 3. O'Sullivan
A typical Anton save
Bachman in prayer?
Penalty Killers right?
Bachman is ready!
Wonder what Bucky is saying to Anton? Hmm?
I think I know what the linesman is: "Enough with the chat, guys, let's play hockey"
The Stars caught an Earl ?
Hey Bach.. got that one in a clinch! He'll be no good now!
Aeros Goal Nr. 3
Somewhere in the bottom of the heap IS our goalie!
Kalus in motion
O'Sullivan in place
They have his Number - don't let him get away or he'll score again!
Wellman at the draw!
If you don't get out of my way, I'll kick you out of my way-gotta score!
Action behind Anton in 1.
Bachy, my how you can stretch, says Jordie!
Everything you can do I can do better..!
Ecstatic Fans
Ok, now you know how I did it! Am off to whoop it up!
Intermission feature-duck or catch a ball & get some golf!
And there you have a few photos of tonight's action, all by artandhockey
Good Night y'all. Be sure to listen and watch Aeros in Oklahoma. And again, see you on Sunday.
rosier by the day! 
Mellow 'old' wine (Alter) deceptively mild. 
Habe die Ehre, Herr Graf!" - 
Kastanienreis mit Schlag, Faschingskrapfen. Mohr im Hemd, Guglhupf! 
