"We Need Graham Back."

Graham, moments after his first cup win.

Another day, another loss.  Another two losses.

"You know, it's not just hurting us.  It's bad for the whole league when you lose a player like that.  He's absolutely a marquee player.  When he's in the lineup, it fires us up.   I don't know what it is, but we're a different team when he's there.  He makes us angry and gives us confidence.  You know, he causes that extra second of hesitation.  It's infectious.  It spreads to their whole team.  It's just frustrating, because we came so close to winning the championship last season, and for the Flying Dutchmen to lose that guy now...it just makes it that much harder for any of the other teams to beat them.  We need Graham back," said the captain of  the other team, Chacals.

"I Love Coming From Behind"

It was a sultry atmosphere in the Flying Dutchmen Hockey Club's showers following their 8-5 come-from-behind victory over Les Achigans.  The air was filled with the sounds of running water and towel slapping goodness.  But one member of the team found himself on the receiving end.
    "J'ai oublié ma serviette," said Fred.  "C'est comme dans un match. Je n'ai aucune protection."

Johnny Kubrick?

Johnny took a bunch of photos and videos during the game.  I asked him to send some of them over to me.  He said some of them didn't turn out so good, so he would only send me the best ones.  

Don't quit your hobby, Johnny.

Someone approaching Matt

An example of the type of game it was

Matt not playing

Handshakes

Handshakes

Alain about to Handshakes

Erik walks back from handshakes

Marines Lose.  Paul gets excited.

And my personal favourite:

We'll always have our memories, I guess.

Here We Go Again

The Flying Dutchmen Hockey Club have been here before.  They've thrice managed to scrape and claw their way into the final, even when some said they had no business of being there.  Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.  That's what they would say.  Don't feel bad - The Marines are the brides.  It's not you, it's them.  The Marines are always the brides.  That's just the way it is; it's perfectly normal for you to feel this way.  Have a tissue.

But not this time.

The Dutchmen have a new dance partner, as it were.  This new partner flies, as well.  They're called The Jets II and if you don't know them yet, you should.  Click here for more information (when the link is set up).

With no less than four key players out of commission (Patrick [wedding season]; John [thumb]; Eric [back]; Graham [what Patrick said]), the Dutchmen had no choice but to call up reserves from the rival MECBHL:

Erik - This Sneaky, tricky forward potted two goals tonight and was a fine substitution, considering he had to fill the larger-than-they-look shoes of one Patrick Costello, who was on personal leave, drinking at weddings.

Pietro - Though he's on the Dutchmen Roster, he's missed some time this season, so for those of you with short memories, he may seem like a new guy.  He's got a hard blade in the corner, and a shot to match.  He got at least one goal tonight, which would put him one ahead of you-know-who. (wink,wink.  Graham.)  Graham.

Paul - Pure sniper.  Smoke break before the game.  Tenacity along the boards.  Slow changes.  Smoke break after the game.  He's always up for a win.  Put in about two goals.  He's basically old John and new John, rolled into one.  As the inimitable Yogi Berra once said, "There are Johns, and then there are Johns.  We got both."

All in all, it's a real Cinderella story.  Only this time, The Flying Dutchmen aren't Cinderella.  They are the bitch the Prince is supposed to sleep with, now that his wife, the Princess, is away on business, or visiting her mother.  Somewhere out of town.  The Marines are the Princess.  The Flying Dutchmen are the girl he keeps on the side.  The Jets II are Cinderella, or Bridget Jones or whatever.  And she's trying to steal the guy we're having an affair with!  THE FUCKING CUP.

Forget that shit.  We bitches be getting laid TONITE! (next wednesday, 7 or 8 pm)  We're gonna HAVE SEX WITH THE  CUP!

No matter what.

John, send me those photos you told me about.

Weetin Caught at Bar after Brawl/loss

Disgusting

CARBO LOAD!

"I chose pasta for energy, and the salad, uh, it's just healthy too, I guess," said forward Weetin five minutes before the start of Wednesday's match. "I'm pretty full. Some of the boys tried to get in on it, but I insisted on eating the whole pot myself - for the energy, see?"

When asked when he'd eaten the meal, he pointed to a dirty pot and plate in the corner of the locker room, "Just finished it now. Or else, what's the point? You gotta have fresh carbs."

When asked if he was worried about the game, he quickly replied "Yeah! A bit! It's gonna be a long game. I'll tell you one thing, I wish I could soak that pot right about now, it's gonna be a bitch to clean later."

The Flying Dutchmen lost tonight, 6-4, against the Deadly Moogly, who extend their winning streak to three games. D-max had his first goal of the season tonight, on a spicy wrist shot from the point, and almost scored two more on set-ups from spaghetti Weetin and someone else (feel free to let us know who it was, all you comment people.)

The Deadly Moogly took a 5-1 lead in the first half. They controlled the flow and capitalized on their chances. The Dutch made some critical errors and always seemed a step behind the play. "Graham" Kussbertsin took a ball on the balls about ten minutes in that left him folded up on the bench, crack-voiced and tear-eyed. He caught every one, though, not letting one get past his rather stiff upper lip.

The second half saw the Dutchmen regain their composure and unleash their never-before-seen second half rally. Did I mention that D-max scored! Well, he did. I see it now, I did mention it. Well, it's worth mentioning twice. D-max scored! Worth mentioning three times, and that's all.

Then they lost anyway, and are all the better for it.

Until next time.

Retraction: Dan's the Man

A post from September 26th, or something, incorrectly stated that a former team captain had the highest plus/minus in the league. Upon further examination, it appears that D-max had a slightly higher rating. He led by one. It seems kind of silly that I have to write this now, actually, seeing as those stats were taken after only one game had been played. After only one game and they've both probably been superseded by someone else (probably a player-ref that shall remain anonymous) after the Flying Dutchmen's 4-2 loss last Wednesday. Anyway I apologize for the inconvenience and blah, blah, blah. Nobody even reads this shit anyway. Whatever.

We play this Wednesday and hopefully, with the Return of Big Daddy Graham, we can put some wins together.

They call it a team sport for a reason. I fear in this new age of statistical analysis, we may forget why we started playing in the first place. There's no +/- in "fun".