Not the face of hockey

Canucks fans riot near the corner of Georgia & Hamilton after the Bruins win game 7
of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on June 15, 2011 in Vancouver B.C.   Source: Travel to Selangor

            It’s sad to see the rioting in Vancouver.

            It’s sad because it’s global news and, damn, what an embarrassment.

            It’s sad because the same thing happened in 1994.

            It’s sad because Vancouver has never won a Stanley Cup under the Canuck franchise and all people have to say about it is, “Over a hockey game?” In reality, this was less about hockey and more about angry drunks using a Game 7 loss as an excuse to wreck mayhem and destroy some cop cars. I’m sure Vancouver is actually a lovely place.

            This is not the face of hockey.

AP Photo/Darryl Dyck, The Canadian Press Source: CBC Chicago

Steve Yzerman: Our Captain

It's a cold day in Michigan. Well. "Cold" being, "It's 68 and rainy after a week of being in the high 90's oh god oh god I'm so burned."

I optimistically reserve June for a Stanley Cup parade in Detroit each year. That doesn't always happen, but considering the Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups in the last 14 years, it's not completely unrealistic for me to think about. And although Steve Yzerman is no longer the captain — or even in Detroit —  he is still in the hearts of Red Wings fans everywhere.

This is one of my newest prints available on Etsy. It's a mounted chromogenic photograph printed on Kodak Endura metallic paper. Translation: SO SHINY. It has the texture of a glossy photograph but the reflective shine of something that may be embossed. It's still a fairly new type of paper that isn't seen frequently, so that makes it even more fun to look at!

I wish this photograph of the finished product could do it justice. Obviously, the metallic aspect does not translate through a static, 2D photograph like this. The paper makes the photograph pop, almost as if it were 3D or lit with LED lights. This particular one measures 10.75" tall and 14" wide, so the size just adds to the intensity of the photo's presentation.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/74837734/steve-yzerman-detroit-red-wing-11-x-14

Rest assured, I had fun with this photograph!

Things are going to start happening to me now!

Feeling out of it today, but I’ve been getting work done at the very least. The warm weather is very much welcomed in Michigan but it also makes my allergies explode. I already take medication that makes me drowsy so having the watery eyes and headaches don’t help. But I’m pulling through!

My mom’s van was stolen a couple weeks ago from outside a church parking lot while she and my kid brother were at a Boy Scouts meeting. Nothing about that makes sense to me and I was furious when I found out. Mom’s been taking it better than I have but it also means I’ve had to take her to run errands a few times. She has a rental for the time being but that’s temporary and we still haven’t heard any news on the van. So it’s been fun.

I have to acknowledge the Red Wings were eliminated from the playoffs last night by the San Jose Sharks. I’m not a San Jose fan by any means and of all the teams to beat Detroit, this was one of my least favorites. However, Antti Niemi was pretty awesome and I’ll give an Internet high five to Todd McClellan for a job well done. It was a great seven game series and I think it was evenly matched. The Wings went from a 3-0 deficit to game seven, and it really did come down to the last minute of game play to see who would win. Still proud of you, Wings. Now it’s up to Steve Yzerman to take Tampa Bay to the finals.

For the last three or four months, I have been developing a website for a good friend of mine. It’s still being tweaked regularly but the foundation is there: http://www.julannejacobs.com. I’ve put a lot of work into it and I’m still not done, but any suggestions or browser testing would be very helpful.

In the meantime, here you go:

New Etsy Listings: Spirit of Detroit and Welcome To TIger Stadium

I'm being extra productive today, probably because of the beautiful weather. It's 72 degrees outside right now! So I'm out in the sunlight, making progress with my Etsy shop. I'm in the process of renewing old listings and creating new ones. Sports fans in Detroit will be particularly interested in these two:


Spirit of Detroit : http://www.etsy.com/listing/72940120/red-wings-spirit-of-detroit-4x6-mounted

This 4x6 print features the Spirit of Detroit decked out in Red Wings gear. It's the best way to tell when playoff season is here!

Welcome to Tiger Stadium : http://www.etsy.com/listing/50773784/welcome-to-tiger-stadium-4x6-mounted

This 4x6 print was taken on Michigan Avenue prior to Tiger Stadium's demolition in 2009. While the stadium may be gone, it will always invoke fond memories from the millions of people who attended events there in the past.

This Day In History: March 26, 1997

This is not anything I took pictures or video of, but I would be remiss as a Red Wings fan if I did not acknowledge the glorious event that occurred 14 years ago today.

The Brawl In Hockeytown was the result of a heated rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche coming to a head. The year before, Colorado's Claude Lemieux took a cheap shot at Red Wing Kris Draper that pretty much shattered his face. After a season of this act going unavenged (plus the Avs winning the Stanley Cup in 1996), payback was finally given in this game at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Darren McCarty pummeling Claude Lemieux into the position that would grant him the nickname, "Turtle."

The guy with the A next to the Winged Wheel? That's my man, Brendan Shanahan!

Even the goalies were getting in on the action! Avalanche Patrick Roy got his ass beaten by Red Wing Mike Vernon.

The refs finally stopped Mac from beating up Lemieux when the guy looked half dead. Meanwhile, there goes Shanny on the other side of the picture!

Vladimir Konstantinov doing what he did best: beating the crap out of his opponents! This is how #16 is remembered.

So yeah, just had to indulge myself a little in the glory that is the Detroit Red Wings. Even Wikipedia has a page about this one night: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Wings_%E2%80%93_Avalanche_brawl