Thanks to the fine folks at Cold Stone Creamery for this one.
Yummy! The flavor above is called Cheesecake Fantasy. It is still pretty warm down here at the college…so a nice ice cream sundae is always welcome. The flavor itself is pretty explanatory…but if you live in the Palm Springs area…you know this place really well. Some of the best ice cream around if you ask me.
Speaking of other cold stuff heating things up is the New Jersey Devils. Riding a four game winning streak after a very successful road trip….they will now enjoy a five game homestand beginning with Dallas on Wednesday. Dallas will be on the second game of a six game bender with most of the games taking place in the tri-state area. Today they travel to Long Island to face the Islanders after beating the Rangers yesterday 3-2…in what could be considered one of the more bizarre games of the season…as it seemed the Rangers controlled the whole game yet Mike Smith stoned them from everywhere to creation. What an effort as Smith was my player of the day yesterday and I am sure many others thought so as well.
Speaking of goalies getting a chance to shine…there is no better example right now than Ilya Bryzgalov. Brian Burke could not find a suitor for him and he knew he would have to bite the bullet…but not this big of one. In four starts for Phoenix…Bryzgalov is 4-0 and has a shutout to boot plus a win over Anaheim (his former team). He is definitely a great fit for a team that plays very hard and tenacious. Much credit must go to Don Maloney who had to know what he was doing….when he jumped ship from the New York Rangers. Even Wayne Gretzky is looking like a bit of a hockey coaching genius here….amazing stuff.
Then there is Toronto…the team that got routed 5-1 by Phoenix Saturday Night. Anyone who tuned into HNIC saw this performance and had to just gag. There is no other way to sugarcoat it…the Leafs are just on a rudderless ship right now. The problem is more systemic as many Leafs’ fans know. This has been going on for sometime now. Mediocrity will not win you Stanley Cups and whoever has to be sacked in order to change this team’s philosophical direction…so be it! Slow defense and shaky goaltending with a good offense are generally not a stone cold formula for playoff success. Defense and goaltending are more often than not a prerequisite for doing well these days. I really can’t fault Paul Maurice for this though he will likely be the first scapegoat…this goes even beyond John Ferguson. In a related note…the Edmonton Sun has the following……
This could be John Ferguson’s last week as general manager of the Toronto Maple
Leafs. Or possibly his last day. A bevy of hockey sources confirmed
to Sun Media yesterday the Leafs are frantically searching for Ferguson’s
replacement – either on an interim basis or permanent basis – as the downward
spiral of the popular hockey club continues.
It gets even better according to some Toronto sources that are supposedly “in the know”. Apparently JFJ has rejected the story from the Toronto Sun that he wanted to fire Paul Maurice late last week. This had also been reported on Fan 590 out of Toronto and a bevy of sources. It makes you wonder just what the hell is going on up there in that part of Ontario. What is going to come out of all this…well I can tell you numbers of Leafs fans are getting their hopes up…maybe just maybe they won’t be dashed this time. AND THIS TIME…maybe the Leafs can really change!
Finally, I am putting out a challenge to all who read this blog…..do you think you have what it takes for Hockey Around The Horn? We are actively going to span the internet in the next week or so and want you to be included in our next episode. If you’re interested and you think you have what it takes to have your opinions heard…just drop me an email at stevens8204@gmail.com. Or if you are on The NHL Arena….just PM Stevens8204. Monday Night Hockey is coming very soon….get ready!
