Lord Stanley Returns to Hockeytown!
Posted on June 4th, 2008 at 10:00 pm by Robbie
That’s right, the Detroit Red Wings are once again the champions of the National Hockey League! After a heartbreaking triple overtime game five loss the Red Wings returned to Pittsburghs’ Igloo to take on the Penguins in a thrilling game six. The Wings came out fast and furious in the first period where Brian Rafalski scored a powerplay goal and then Valterri Filppula doubled it up in the second period. In the third, Henrik Zetterberg ripped a shot that trickled under Marc-Andre Fleury’s pads, as he attempted to fall back on the puck he ended up pushing it over the goal line to give the Wings a 3-1 lead. Of course, this game wouldn’t be interesting without a powerplay goal being scored by Marian Hossa with 1:27 left to cut Detroit’s lead to 3-2. In the final seconds, Detroit failed to clear and “Cindy” Crosby put a backhanded shot onto goal where Hossa nearly knocked it in but Chris Osgood, who had 20 saves and improved his playoff record to 14-4, got just enough stick on it to not allow the goal as time expired.
The Wings celebrated behind their net and then went forward with the traditional handshake at center ice. Afterwards, the Conn Smythe Trophy (MVP) was awarded to Henrik Zetterberg who had a goal and assist in the final game. Personally, it was a toss up for me between Zetterberg and Johan Franzen, who had 13 goals in the playoffs but suffered from concussion-like symtoms and missed a couple games, if not for this I believe he should have been the MVP.
Finally, the Stanley Cup was brought to near center ice and awarded to Red Wing captain, Nicholas Lindstrom who raised the cup high above his head for the fourth time in his career as a Red Wing. One of the best parts of the night was Lindstrom handing the cup off, second, to Dallas Drake who, before this, was playing his 14th season without ever winning a Stanley Cup.
This team is seriously unbelievable, I have great respect for coach Mike Babcock, whom also is relishing his first Stanley Cup victory and is proving to everyone that he will further carve Detroit’s name into the history books (and the Stanley Cup). This team has a great core of players both veterans and rookies and I believe they could repeat next year (not to get TOO ahead of myself or anything). Another reason I am so happy for this is because Detroit desperately needs something to cheer about. The city is struggling as most people know and this 2008 Stanley Cup Championship will give the people of Detroit a reason to be happy, well, at least until they watch another dissapointing Tigers loss anyway.
Congratulations Wings! You made this Detroit boy in Utah incredibly happy (and proud) to be a hockey, Wings, and Detroit fan! Hockeytown is shining once again!!
Nalette’s Invade Mormon Town
Posted on May 31st, 2008 at 2:02 pm by RobbieIt’s been quite a while since an update (which is becoming a normal trend now and days) but a lot has been going on out here in Mormon Town the past few weeks so I suppose I can fill everyone in.
The most significant headline to start out with would be my family coming to Utah last week to visit me. That’s right the entire fam: mom, dad, Amy, and Laura all made it out to the wild west last Sunday to get some insight on where I live and what I see on a daily basis. They ended up getting here on a Sunday so after they went to their condo (200 yards from mine) we immediately started the Utah tour since I would have to work the next 2 days (but took Wed-Fri off). They rented a Jeep Commander and of course I was going to drive so I could show them around. We started by going down through Park City and then through Heber to Provo Canyon. Going through Provo Canyon is really pretty and the fam loved it. Towards the end of Provo is Bridal Veil Falls, a very large waterfall that attracts quite a few people. What’s cool about it is that you can basically hike up to where the first fall hits and go in the pool it creates. We weren’t really prepared for rock climbing (shoe-wise) so that didn’t happen but we did hike up a little and took some good pictures. Which by the way are right here.
After Bridal Veil we continued on through Provo Canyon and into the city of, you guessed it, Provo. Provo is the biggest Mormon spot in all of Utah and it is also the home of Brigham Young University (the Cougars). We didn’t do any stopping in Provo as there really isn’t a lot to see other than the university so we continued on course to hit I-15 to go back north. We took I-15 up to Draper and stopped at PGP so I could show the fam where I worked, since I had my ID badge and I have hand print access we were able to go into the office even on a Sunday.
After a few minutes at PGP we continued north to I-215 and then started to head east toward Big Cottonwood Canyon (BCC). BCC is one my most favorite canyons in Utah as it goes up very high and goes through a national forest, its quite amazing. We went all the way to the top to Brighton Ski Resort where we took a few pictures, the family was amazed as there was still quite a few feet of snow at the top (in mid-May)! After BCC we continued north east on I-215 where we picked up I-80 which takes you back to Park City. I-80 goes through Parley’s Canyon which is a fair to medium sized canyon that I drive through everyday to get to work. About mid-way up there was a random traffic backup, we soon learned that this was going to cause a major kink in our dinner plans that night. Apparently, some guy went off his rocker in Park City and led the police on a chase down Parley’s, then back up, then down again, and then on his way back up he purposely slammed into a back of a semi tanker carrying ethanol killing himself on impact. As you can imagine, this was a big deal. They closed I-80 COMPLETELY in both directions for about an hour and then reopened the west bound side but kept the east side closed, so we ended up having to get off at the exit that takes you to the Mountain Dell Recreational Area (see pictures as I have been there a few times). Essentially, we ended up going on a 80 mile detour to get back to Park City when we were only 10 miles away to begin with when we got off the freeway. In hindsight, it was a good idea for us to not wait for them to reopen the freeway because that didn’t happen until midnight that night!
Monday and Tuesday I had to work so the family was trying to take advatage of the great weather those days. On Monday they went back to BCC and went hiking and on Tuesday they went to Antelope Island in the middle of the great Salt Lake where the girls went horse back riding. Finally, on Wednesday I was once again able to join them on their adventures but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so great. We did a lot of shopping Wed. and Thurs. and on Friday we had decent weather so we went back to Provo Canyon to try and go to the Timpongos Caves, some of the biggest caves in the region. The caves were closed due to the unbelievable amount of snow fall we received this winter but we were still able to go hiking up Mt. Timponogos where at the top there were 4 waterfalls cascading down the side of the mountain, quite stunning. See pictures in the album.
Anyway, it was great to see the fam as it had been since Christmas and luckily I will get to see them and the rest of my family and friends in just a few more weeks when I head back to Michigan for vacation in mid-July! Check out the pics, here’s that link one more time: Nalette’s Invade Mormon Town.
Switching gears to Detroit sports, how about them Red Wings? Those guys are unbelievable, even machine-like. If they can pull the away victory today there is no way in hell they are going to lose game 5 in Detroit, which would mean that I’m subtly implying they could potentially win the Stanley Cup again and in Detroit. *knocks on wood* Too bad other Detroit teams can’t take notice of the heart and determination of the Wings, *cough*Pistons*cough*Tigers. By the way, where the hell was Tayshaun Prince the entire series against the Celtics? That guy was a complete no show. I am, however, going to give HUGE props to Rodney Stuckey, Jason Maxiell, and Antonio McDyss who all played great in the conference finals for the most part. It makes me happy to know that those two young players (Stuckey and Maxiell) will be around for quite a while and hopefully will be able to take off where our starters leave off once they retire or move on. Too bad our starters couldn’t follow suit (Rip doesn’t count in that comment because he was money the whole series).
I can’t forget to mention one more thing. How about the season finale of LOST? How awesome is this show? I think the single greatest thing Billy and I accomplished this winter was watching every episode of LOST on DVD so we could be ready when new episodes started again after the writers strike. This show is both awesome and frustrating as everytime one question is answered ten more arise. I’m not going to get into the show and the finale since not everyone watches it but I will say if you have the time, go rent seasons 1-3 on DVD and get down on that you will not be dissapointed!
Finally, I wanted to touch on one more thing. I don’t usually write about my dieting and exercise habits, but as many of you know I have lost some weight over the past year and a half. To be exact, 72 lbs. (265 to 193) and 14% body fat (34% to 20%). I decided recently that since I have thinned down a bit that it would be a good idea to start trying to pack on some lean muscle. With that in mind, I have jumped into the world of supplements head first. I have been doing a lot of reading online in bulletin boards and muscle and mens health magazine websites to find out the best stuff to do. I ended up getting GNC Pro Performance Amplified Creatine 189, Muscle Milk, and a mens daily multi-vitamin. I am new to all this so I am continuously reading more reviews about different creatine and protein mixes so I’ll keep you updated on how this new adventure goes for me.
Whew, if anyone is still reading, congratulations, this is the biggest blog post I’ve ever written I think. I’m going to make an effort to update more often, this should be easier since its now summer and the weather is good and I can go out and do more stuff, so keep checking back!
PO-lice & Summer
Posted on April 23rd, 2008 at 11:48 am by RobbieLast Friday at about 6:30 in the AM i was headin to work, mindin my business, coasting down the mountain that is Parley’s Summit at a brisk 80 MPH when at the minute at the bottom of the hill I saw Mr. Utah Highway Patrol. Of course I braked and of course I was late on doing so, I knew immediately this guy got me. He pulled me over just past the Lambs Canyon exit and came up to my window, here is our conversation:
Me: Good morning sir
Officer: Hello, do you know how fast you were going?
Me: Uhmm, no I’m not too sure, going down these huge hills sometimes throws me off on my speed ya know? Sometimes I end up going faster than I think I am.
Officer: Are you just visiting or do you live here? (As I still have my MI license plate)
Me: No, I live here, I just got a job in Draper.
Officer: So you live in Park City?
Me: Yes
Officer: How long have you lived here?
Me: Just a couple weeks (if you count 7 months a couple weeks)
Officer: Ok, I’m gonna run your license I’ll be right back
–one minute later–
Officer: Alright, slow it down a bit ok?
Me: For sure, thank you very much
Officer: Have a good one!
If you know me and my history of getting pulled over, this is just one more reason for you to hate me. I’m ok with it though! This is about the, oh I don’t know, 4th or 5th time I’ve been pulled over for speeding and avoided a ticket (never got one ever!) Obviously, this made for a very enjoyable Friday.
Summer is just around the corner and I cannot wait. Warmth is returning, well, slowly and I’ve already begun planning my summer events. I’m looking to go to Bear Lake in June to camp, some people call this the “Caribbean of the Rockies.” The lake is the deepest lake in Utah/Idaho (as it straddles the border) and the water color is that of the Caribbean. I hear nothing but great things about it! I also procured my plane ticket for Michigan the other day so I’m all set for July 17-27 (arriving at 3 pm on a Thursday). I cannot wait!
Along with all the summer vacations there are a slew of concerts coming in Utah that I’m excited for, although, probably won’t be able to afford to go to. 311, Jack Johnson, John Mayer, and Dave Matthews are among a few. I may go to DMB, alone, as Bill thinks he will be out of town at that time. Going to a concert alone will suck, but I really wanna see DMB in Utah.
Anyway, thats about it for now, hump day is half over and the weekend is in site, stay up kids.
My Death Bed
Posted on April 18th, 2008 at 3:15 pm by RobbieAs some of you I have been pretty sick the past week here. It started last Thursday with a sore throat upon waking up in the morning and by Friday it was a full fledged sickness. I’d describe it best as an upper respitory infection, although, it probably wasn’t that severe (even though at times I thought it was). Ya know, I’m not gonna lie, I can deal with a cold, runny nose, even a cough that brings up all kinds of lovely lung cookies. But do not, I repeat, DO NOT take a man’s sense of taste away from him! I can’t remember the last time I actually couldn’t taste food due to being sick and I hope it never happens again. I went three and a half days without tasting anything which really made my days unfulfilling, I mean, without tasting food it’s almost like, whats the point of eating? Well, obviously nutritional value is needed daily but man, it sucked! Finally, this afternoon I got my first whiff of tuna and my fruit smoothie after working out and man was it delightful!
The weather here in Park City the past few weeks has been pretty random. On Monday it was 80 degrees, on Tuesday and Wednesday we had a blizzard and now today (Friday) it’s back up to 65 and sunny. Anyway, since Monday was just absolutely gorgeous I decided that it was quite necessary to take a hike in a new location (yes, even though I was sick as hell). I decided that I would check out Lambs Canyon. Lambs Canyon is about 8 miles from my house heading west down I-80 and its probably the smallest canyon in all of Utah but it is pretty remote and not a lot of people go in there so I figured what the hell right? Of course I brought the camera to take some pics, you can find those in the photo album under The RAN3 Experience\2008\Lambs Canyon.
That’s about all I have for now, other than the fact that I would really appreciate the Tigers turning around their season and the Red Wings actually not losing in the first round of the playoffs but that’s another post. Maybe if I get bored tomorrow we can discuss some of those antics! Check out the new pics in the photo album!
NCAA and Summer
Posted on March 25th, 2008 at 6:09 pm by RobbieWho would have thought the Michigan State Spartans would actually get some consistency and win out the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament? Not me and I’m an alumni that wants nothing more than Drew Neitzel to get as far humanly possible in his last run at the NCAA. Taking on Memphis won’t be easy, but hey, MSU SHOULD have beat UCLA (#1 at the time) back at the beginning of the season but ended up shooting themselves in the foot a few times. If they can stay our of foul trouble, keep up a good pace to the game, and make foul shots (because Memphis is the worst free throw team in the NCAA) then this could be a very close and exciting game! Go State!
At work I started an NCAA pool all via ESPN.com. It’s 10 to play, winner take all. I started soliciting co-workers about this a little too late, like 2 days before the first game so there are only 4 of us playing. Whatever, I’ll take a +30 dollar win (I’m currently tied for first). Hopefully I can pull out the victory.
This past weekend I got a Bluetooth wireless headset, to be specific, the Jawbone. This thing is intense. It has some crazy military grade noise cancelling technology and it’s rated the best Bluetooth device on the market right now. It uses the vibrations in your jaw to notice when you’re talking and to cancel background noise. It’s about $130 bucks if you buy directly from the company but I ordered one through amazon.com for about 80 bucks, not to mention PGP picked up the tab! I love gadgets, but I love free gadgets even more.
It looks like the snowboarding season is just about finished here in Utah. It’s been in the 50/60s everyday for the past couple weeks in downtown Salt Lake City (40-50s in Park City). I went snowboarding at Park City Ski Resort this past Saturday and the snow was horrible, icy and hard. It was a pretty good season though, other than making me broke financially, it definitely stepped my snowboard game up. No longer a beginner, you can call me a novice. Next season I will def. look into getting a season pass for the Canyons. Now I can start looking forward to camping in Utah! So excited for summer.
