#pre gaa 1 time

[ask-the-reaper-conspiracy]

To miss Shinn

How would you feel if you wear a armor?

"Are you asking if I would have mail on underneath this dress?" "On very rare occasions, I have been known to invest in bulletproof wear." "But ideally, I would conduct my business such that I don't require it." "It isn't the most comfortable thing, to wear layers upon layers of cotton and other fabrics."

—————–

Check this page for credits

[hellobitchlet]

Before we get to 5.7, I have a little theory that I don't want to happen, but am worried that it's what they're leading up to with Skirk-

Are the 5 sinners going to be handled like the Hexenzirkel was before Sumeru? As in, is sinner lore just going to be their students/younger relatives popping in to talk about them every now and then?

Hear me out! The main thing that makes me think that is the handling of Skirk, the narwhal, and Dain since Fontaine.

Before Fontaine, Skirk had been built up in Childe's character stories as his mysterious and powerful teacher who lives in the Abyss, which implied that she was important. Since he came out, many people have been interested in her and the narwhal. But then when they actually appeared for the first time, Skirk literally just talked about a......... brand new character we've never heard of before who is her teacher, and left.

(Fast forwards to now, we recently got her drip marketing and it was also focused on her master. More than herself.)

A few updates later, we got our yearly traveler quest- Bedtime Story. Before Sumeru, traveler quests focused on Dainsleif a lot. Caribert and Bedtime Story, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about him very much, and chose to focus on new npc's instead. In Bedtime Story, he introduces us to the 5 sinners, and reveals that his brother (who we had never heard of before) was one of them, as well as the new master of Skirk.

So long story short, in the span of a few updates, we took 2 characters who people have been interested in for a long time- who were clearly made to be important- and had them introduce new important characters that they're connected to instead of expanding on their own stories.

This is similar to pre-Sumeru Hexenzirkel bc Albedo, Mona, and Klee used to do this with their teachers/parents all the time, and sometimes they still do. Before The Hexenzirkel Cutscene, all we had to go off of with the Hexenzirkel was Mona's story quest and the 3 talking about them in events occasionally.

Being connected to an important teacher figure is not bad- that's not what I'm saying. Rhine's kids certainly benefitted from it, and so did Childe. But Klee has always just been 'the cute kid who is everyone's little sister', and the last time we even hinted at Mona getting her own plotline was in 1.1. Both Klee and Mona (especially Mona) have spent a lot of time just... referencing their masters, or being in the room when their masters are mentioned.

To list some examples- Klee's mainly played a big role in GAA 1 and Bottleland because her mom invited her there. Her Bottleland skin was literally a costume of her mom. Mona appears in Fontaine's aq out of literally nowhere JUST to drop Hexenzirkel lore and dip. They both only appeared in Windblume 2 to be there for The Hexenzirkel Cutscene. Etc. Etc.

(Side note, notice how the 2 with less notable content are the girls and the 2 with more are the boys. I feel like Klee works fine not doing anything bc she's a young child, but god I wish we continued what Unreconciled Stars had going on with Mona :( )

Hoyo's writing has changed since they wrote Shadows Amidst Snowstorms, and it's changed to prefer the kind of writing they did with Klee and Mona- connecting a character to something important, but then just using them to convey information about Important Thing to you, instead of building up an actual plotline about them. We rarely see anything meaningful come out of characters related to the lore Hoyo is building up- all we get is disconnected info to theorize on.

In recent times, we've seen this with Cyno and Sethos with the Temple of Silence. We've seen this with Neuvillette and dragon lore. We've even seen the House of Hearth kids doing this with Arlecchino and their orphanage! It's been quite a while since we've gotten an Albedo.

This is already a shitty way to handle things as is. It always has been. But if they do that to Skirk and Dainsleif? That's even worse.

Skirk was the female teacher of a male character, who many were excited for because she would presumably be a 'cold', badass, important female character in a game where few playable girls are allowed to be important or have less-than-super-nice personalities. And yet, when she finally comes out, she's suddenly all about this MORE powerful, MORE important male character we had never heard of before??? When her male student always stood on his own as a character, and never even mentioned her before Fontaine??? When he was able to reveal info about other characters without it becoming his whole personality???

And Dain is also an important character, one we've known since the beginning. He's supposed to be a character we meet up with throughout the main story, who is actively involved in the Abyss Order plotline. He's one of the only characters who was practically guaranteed an actual storyline of his own! Despite that, due to the snails pace the alleged AO storyline is going, he's barely done anything. For Genshin to finally decide what they want the traveler quests to be, just to further delegate him to the role of standing around info dumping about other characters... this time about his brother doing things he could've done instead...

That would just be. Shitty. For both of them. And that's not even going into Albedo's future after the bullshit that was Paralogism, since he's a 5 Sinner's student as well.

Again! This is a personal theory and analysis! Don't come after me for making observations that don't assume the best! I know I could be wrong and I hope I am! But hopefully you can see that the way they've handled Skirk and Dain since Fontaine is shitty and suspicious.

[mathsandcomedydotcom]

National Flags Flown at an Orange Parade:

I was watching the tercentenary Orange March (1990), that occurred in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on YouTube. My own county, “The County Monaghan True Blues”, was represented.

At an Orange march, at the top of the parade, the national flags of participating countries are flown. However, conspicuous by its absence was the Irish Tricolour, to represent Southern Irish Orangemen, like the “True Blue” Orangemen from my own county.

Southern Ireland is represented at an Orange March by the Northern Ireland flag, or, more accurately: the Flag of the Stormont Executive (1921–1972), which I find deeply ironic.

Plenty of organisations—the GAA, being one—use the Tricolour to inacurately represent a thirty-two county Ireland, and so I am not offended, in the slightest, if the Orange Order, in a retributive act of vexillological belligerence, uses the Northern Ireland flag to represent Southern Ireland.

Also, the Tricolour was effectively a banned symbol in Northern Ireland under the Flags and Symbols Act (1954), and so the Orange Order probably could not, in times past, fly the Tricolour, in Belfast, to represent Southern Ireland, even if it wanted to.

I wondered had this protocol changed, since the end of The Troubles: do the Orange Order, today, fly the Tricolour in honour of participating Southern Irish Orangemen, and I don't think that this protocol has changed. It would be interesting if the Orange Order did begin to fly the Tricolour at their Belfast March on the 12th. One wonders if they can fly other foreign flags, then why not the Tricolour?

I checked out: The Orange Order: a Tradition Betrayed (2006) by Brian Kennaway, from Monaghan Library. My being in my late 30s, I actually remember ‘The Drumcree Debacle’, which is one of the chapters in Kernaghan’s book.

Figure 1: One of the plates in Kennaway’s book. Depicted is a pre-partition Orange Banner, with the Irish Gaelic inscription—in Celtic Type—‘Oidhreacht Éireann’ /ˈɔɪ.rɔxtʰ ˈɛˑ.rɑn/, which means: ‘Heritage of Ireland’.

A County-Monaghan Protestant from Clones, Darach MacDonald, also wrote The Sons of Levi (1999) on the Orange Order.

Figure 2: A photo of the book: The Sons of Levi (1999) by Brian Kennaway.

I also ordered Ruth Dudley Edwards’s The Faithful Tribe (1999) on the Orange Order.

Figure 3: Ruth Dudley Edwards’s book: The Faithful Tribe (1999).

[paganimagevault]

Tailteann Games 1924 & 32 programme covers

"The Tailteann Games, Tailtin Fair, Áenach Tailteann, Aonach Tailteann, Assembly of Talti, Fair of Taltiu or Festival of Taltii were funeral games associated with the semi-legendary history of Pre-Christian Ireland.

There is a complex of ancient earthworks dating to the Iron Age in the area of Teltown where the festival was historically known to be celebrated off and on from medieval times into the modern era.

The games were founded, according to the Book of Invasions, by Lugh Lámhfhada, the Ollamh Érenn (master craftsman or doctor of the sciences), as a mourning ceremony for the death of his foster-mother Tailtiu. Lugh buried Tailtiu underneath a mound in an area that took her name and was later called Tailteann in County Meath.

The event was held during the last fortnight of July and culminated with the celebration of Lughnasadh, or Lammas Eve (1 August). Modern folklore claims that the Tailteann Games started around 1600 BC, with some sources claiming as far back as 829 BC. Promotional literature for the Gaelic Athletic Association revival of the games in 1924 claimed a later date of their foundation in 632 BC. The games were known to have been held between the 6th and 9th centuries AD. The games were held until 1169-1171 AD when they died out after the Norman invasion.

The ancient Aonach had three functions: honoring the dead, proclaiming laws, and funeral games and festivities to entertain. The first function took between one and three days depending on the importance of the deceased. Guests would sing mourning chants called the Guba, after which druids would improvise Cepógs, songs in memory of the dead. The dead would then be burnt on a funeral pyre. The second function would then be carried out during a universal truce by the Ollamh Érenn, giving out laws to the people via bards and druids and culminating in the igniting of another massive fire. The custom of rejoicing after a funeral was then enshrined in the Cuiteach Fuait, games of mental and physical ability.

Games included the long jump, high jump, running, hurling, spear throwing, boxing, contests in swordfighting, archery, wrestling, swimming, and chariot and horse racing. They also included competitions in strategy, singing, dancing and story-telling, along with crafts competitions for goldsmiths, jewellers, weavers and armourers. Along with ensuring a meritocracy, the games would also feature a mass arranged marriage, where couples met for the first time and were given up to a year and a day to divorce on the hills of separation.

In later medieval times, the games were revived and called the Tailten Fair, consisting of contests of strength and skill, horse races, religious celebrations, and a traditional time for couples to contract "Handfasting" trial marriages. "Taillten marriages" were legal up until the 13th century. This trial marriage practice is documented in the fourth and fifth volumes of the Brehon law texts, which are compilations of the opinions and judgements of the Brehon class of Druids (in this case, Irish). The texts as a whole deal with copious detail for the Insular Celts.

From the late nineteenth century, the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and others in the Gaelic revival contemplated reviving the Tailteann Games. The GAA's 1888 championships of football and of hurling were unfinished owing to the American Invasion Tour, an unsuccessful attempt to raise funds for a revival.

The Second Dáil approved a scheme in 1922, and after a delay caused by the Irish Civil War the first was held in 1924. Open to foreigners of Irish heritage, the first games of 1924 and 1928 attracted some competitors fresh from the Olympics in Paris and Amsterdam. The Games' main backer, minister J. J. Walsh, lost office when Fianna Fáil took power after the 1932 election, and public funding was cut. The 1932 games were on a smaller scale against a background of the Great Depression and the Anglo-Irish Trade War, and no further games were held.

Jack Fitzsimons suggested reviving the Tailteann Games in a 1985 Seanad Éireann debate on tourism in Ireland.

The Rás Tailteann ("Tailteann race") cycling race was founded in 1953 by the National Cycling Association (NCA), in opposition to the Tour of Ireland organised by the rival Cumann Rothaíochta na hÉireann (CRÉ). Cycling Ireland, the merged successor to both the NCA and CRÉ, still organises the Rás Tailteann annually, but it is usually known as "the [sponsor] Rás", or simply "the Rás".

The Irish Secondary Schools Athletic Association organised annual national championships from 1963 under the name "Junior Tailteann Games". Athletics Ireland continues to use the name "Tailteann Games" for its annual schools inter-provincial championships. also independently the tailteann games are an inter-gaeltacht event that includes other activities."

-taken from wikipedia

[prosaic-bun]

Patch 2.8 Divination session

*Based on leaks - possible spoilers*

This is an early guess of what could possibly happen event and story wise. What is anticipated and general foreboding: A lot of talks about a new Mondstadt region being released (DLC); Event rerun for Windblume festival; Mentions of a rerun of the Golden Apple Archipelago(GAA) ; Full double reruns for both banners - for a total of 4 characters getting a rerun; The current agreed upon line up would be something like: Kazuha and Klee with either Childe, Hu tao, Eula or Albedo; Heizou's release (4 stars); Last patch before 3.0 and Sumeru.

Event I actually believe we aren't going to have a Windblume festival rerun, but instead get Ludi Harpastum. Last time this festival was canonically celebrated was during Colleis' arc in the official Genshin Manga. Revisiting the event in game might allow us to get lore and information on Sumeru and pre-introduce some characters. It would be an opportune moment to release new Mondstadt skins.

New region? Some sources mentioned we could see the release of the Dornman Port area in the northen region of Mondstadt, or the rerun of the GAA. Once again I'll go against the grain and speculate we won't have a brand new region, but small additions to the current Mondstadt map.

Reasoning: Genshin tried to achieve the pacing of one new region per patch, so it would make sense they would try to give something new in 2.8 (a rerun of the GAA would replicate the patch 2.5 with the Three Realms Gateway Offering). However I feel it would be difficult for genshin team to achieve such a feat right before the release of the Sumeru region and right after completing the Chasm second map.

Narrowing it down: I can currently think of 3 Mondstadt subareas that could be minimally expanded to give us some exploration crumbs: Stormterror's lair/Old Mondstadt - The eerie 'canyon' with a tree and a cave that leads nowhere (yet) or the Decarabian's tower treated in game as an 'out of bounds location'. Dawn Winery - the basement of the winery and the speculated network of tunnels; The Thousand Winds Temple - Closed gates and NPCs.

Verdict: In my opinion it would make sense we get to explore the Thousand Winds Temple since Istaroth as been quite relevent in the story lately. I also talked about my 'portals theory' in a previous post and how the seelie from the GAA brought us back to Mondstadt - there specifically. The many doorways present around the amphitheater always seemed sus to me.

Patchi the Curious and Doolan can be seen on site trying to find a way to enter the ruins. Doolan tries to stall the researcher because he loves her or something and Patchi the Curious only wants to get around the ruin gard and enter, we love an asexual-aromantic icone. Furthermore, one of the temple gate was opened during the Windblume festival event (some shenanigans about Benny boy and Razor), meaning it's feasible.

Bing able to go into the temple and explore it would also follow the Teyvat trend of finding other civilisation ruins under the current regions. Especially in Inazuma, every islands seem to have something underground including Enkanomiya. For 2.6 we have the Chasm in Liyue. Sal Vindagnyr also fit the 'burried civilisation trope' but I feel like the mountain is more hollow than underground.

Goofiest connection: When you talk with Patchi the Curious you get a dialogue option where she gives you the volume 1 of The Mondstadt Tower, adding it into the archive. The book tells a short story set during Ludi Harpastum - by the looks of it the plot seems to be a copy and paste of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Entre nous, that just confirms my theory.

[nouraalali]

The Progress of LGBT representation in American

Before the events of Before Stonewall that took place in 1969, members of the gay, lesbian and transgender community endured constant attacks and harassment from police raids. At the time, members of the LGBTQ did not know that their sexuality had political implications or that there would ever be a new way of life other than in hiding in shame and wishing the police did not attack them. However, since there was little to no media coverage at the time because the LGBTQ community was not yet identified and categorized, the media did not spend their time, technology, and space covering their events in footage or writings in newspapers or magazines. During the early 1960s, even the word lesbian hardly surfaced in mainstream conversations. Gayism, on the other hand, was considered slang, and the term homosexual had not been coined at the time. The first known use of the term homosexual was in Charles Gilbert Chaddock’s 1892 translation of Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis, a study of sexual practices. During the 1960s, there was old-fashioned homophobia that revolved around homosexuality, and this would explain why there was little to no media coverage of such topics by the media despite the LGBTQ community's continued harassment by members of the police force. The grassroots riots by the drag queens, butch lesbians, male sex workers, and androgynous youths were deemed so insignificant that neither the Life magazine nor the Time magazine dared to cover them. Even the three main TV stations at the time bothered to send camera operators to record the riots.

In 1969 at a dingy, Mafia-owned bar in Greenwich Village, the LGBTQ community reached a breaking point due to their continued harassment by the police. Unlike previous raids, on this day, they refused to be herded into a police van for their umpteenth arrests. This was the beginning of a six-day route that started in Stonewall Inn to Christopher Street and the neighboring areas.

With such an outbreak, the media could no longer turn a blind eye to the LGBTQ community. The media coverage started helping the public visibility of same-sex sexuality. By airing and publishing interviews and protests of famous LGBTQ members, the public started to accept same-sex orientation as part of their societal sexual preference, and names like gay and lesbian were not as frowned upon as before. The media made it easier for the LGBTQ community by increasing same-sex orientation's visibility and perceived legitimacy. At the time, the idea of being LGBTQ had begun to gradually weaken the predominance of the heteronormative discourse and the formation of homonormative lessons. This means that the media was at the forefront of portraying how gay and lesbian individuals should appear and behave.

Identity Politics and Impact of Grassroots Organization in Redefining the Status of LGBTQ

The post-Stonewall gay liberation movements restored radical energies seeking to align politics with radical social change in American society. Legendary activists such as Barbara Gittings from Philadelphia and Franck Kameny from Washington DC understood that there needed to be a radical change that was big enough to overturn the laws that kept embers of the LGBTQ stuck in their second-class status. After the uproar of the Stonewall resistance, it became a symbol that would inspire solidarity among many homosexuals’ groups worldwide. While historians agree that the Stonewall riots were not the first to initiate the gay rights movement, they agree that it did serve as a catalyst for a new era of political activism, especially those campaigning for equal rights for members of the LGBTQ.

Historians recognize older groups such as the Mattachine society founder in California and flourished in the 1950s. Lilli Vincenz and Frank Kameny, two members of the Mattachine Society of Washington, participated in the discussions, planning, and protection of the first Ride along with activists in New York. Additionally, the Mattachine were enlisted as stalwart Cold Warriors, and they used these anti-communist credentials to push for citizenship rights. However, since the riots, new groups appear such as the Gay Activists Alliance (GAA) and the Gay Liberation Front (GLF). These groups launched numerous public demonstrations whose main goal was protesting the lack of civil rights for members of the LGBTQ. Although the lesbian community was not as affected as the gay community, they shared the desire to have a secure place in the world community at large. Unchallenged by the fear of violence, they ganged up with the gay community to voice their desires for equal treatment under the law and their unwillingness to be considered second-class citizens. These alliances, in many cases, resulted in such tactics as the disruption of public meetings and public confrontation with political officials to force them to recognize members of the gay community. Unlike before, when gay protests were frowned upon by both the media and the public, members of the gay community demanded respect and acceptance after the Stonewall uprising. Many gay and lesbian communities’ members demanded equal treatment in employment, public policy, and housing. Through continued radical activism, a new motion was set in place, one that discourages discrimination against members of the LGBTQ by government policies. I

t was not until December 1973 that the vote to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual was cast, and the motion passed. Historians consider this one of the most significant early achievements of the post-Stonewall LGBTQ movement, especially since the new law undercut all forms of discrimination against members of the LGBTQ. The nondiscriminatory trend was also forced to educate society on the significance and contributions of the gay community. In response to their activism, any jurisdictions in the United States enforced laws banning any form of discrimination against homosexuals. They also increased the number of employment and agreed to offer "domestic partner" benefits similar to life insurance, health care, and in some cases, pension benefits to heterosexual married couples.

AIDS Crisis in Redefining the status of LGBTQ

In the United States, AIDS was particularly prevalent in the urban gay community, especially during its first discovery phase. For this reason, the public developed a somewhat negative perception of lesbians and gay individuals. Although there were not publicly prosecuted, bt members of the lesbians and gay community were singled out and discriminated against, particularly because they were blamed for the transmission of HIV. Gay and lesbian couples were losing their loved ones to this new disease that only seemed to affect the gay and lesbian community; it drove a shockwave of fear of death from contracting the disease in the community. As a result, there was an increased stigma, violation of human rights, discrimination, and physical violence against members of the LGBTQ. Most of the LGBTQ members at the time adopted "social homophobia." They unknowingly contracted and lived with the virus for fear of societal discrimination whenever they thought of testing or healthcare treatment. One research reports that due to this "social homophobia," members of LGBTQ exhibited adverse mental issues such as depression and anxiety, and many were driven into substance abuse and addiction.

For this reason, gays and lesbians were at the forefront of advocacy for research into the disease and the provision of better support for its victims. One such group recognized for this effort was the Gay Men's Health Crisis located in New York City. AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP), founded by Larry Kramer, was another group that actively campaigned to promote political action against the disease through his writing in local chapters in cities such as Washington D.C, Los Angels, Paris, San Francisco, and New York.

Many members of ACT UP were sick with the virus themselves, and they engaged in civil disobedience in protest for increased research on HIV/AIDS in the attempt to find a cure for the virus. Activists such as Kramer made good use of the media when they established AIDS organizations. These organization's central role was to increase media exposure on the risks that members of the LGBTQ were facing as well as encouraging them to come out in huge numbers to fight for their rights. Through such organization and media coverage, it forced the government and private drug companies to pursue research that led to the discovery of ARVs as a treatment for HIV/AIDS and saved the lives of not only the gay community but infected heterosexuals as well.

References

Butler, I. (n.d.). This remarkable history of the fight against AIDS is a guide to the battle yet to come. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/culture/2016/12/david-frances-how-to-survive-a-plague-reviewed.html

Corry, J. (1985, June 27). Film: Documentary on homosexuals (Published 1985). The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/1985/06/27/movies/film-documentary-on-homosexuals.html

Heiko Motschenbacher, H. (2019, November 18). Language use before and after Stonewall: A corpus-based study of gay men’s pre-Stonewall narratives - Heiko Motschenbacher, 2020. SAGE Journals. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1461445619887541

History. (2018, June 1). How the Stonewall Riots Sparked a Movement | History. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9wdMJmuBlA

Holden, S. (2013, February 20). They wouldn’t take no for an answer in the battle against AIDS (Published 2012). The New York Times - Breaking News, US News, World News and Videos. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/21/movies/how-to-survive-a-plague-aids-documentary-by-david-france.html

John-Manuel, A. (2019, June 14). Film: "Before Stonewall" Explores LGBTQ pain and resilience. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stonewall-strong/201906/film-stonewall-explores-lgbtq-pain-and-resilience

Lecklider, A. S. (2021, June 10). The push for LGBTQ equality began long before Stonewall. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/06/10/push-lgbtq-equality-began-long-before-stonewall/

Weiss, A. (2019, June 30). Creating the first visual history of queer life before Stonewall. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/06/before-stonewall-documentary-archives-history-invisible/592675/

Winik, M. (2016, November 28). David France’s eyewitness account of AIDS activism. Newsday. https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/books/how-to-survive-a-plague-review-david-france-s-exhaustive-history-of-aids-activism-1.12667430

[stuartha06-blog]

For the first time this fall

You know they're there and serving some function, but it seems a frivolous use of time to really dive into the whys and wherefores.This is fine. The light blue bits don't set my world on fire and the back, like a couple of recent Newcastle kits, is far, far too bare nfl jerseys. But the sponsor logo is actually pretty neat in a faceless futuristic overlord way, making the residents of the Tony Pulis Centre Back Refuge look like some army ordered over the internet.13.

cheap nfl jerseys As part of the proposed initiative, Gaelic players would make themselves available to promote campaigns on areas such as road safety, tourism, and child obesity awareness. However, February general election and the subsequent political uncertainty has meant the GPA have been left in limbo, while they have yet to shake hands with the GAA on a new permanent recognition agreement after the original deal elapsed last year. Instead, an interim arrangement is currently in place..  cheap nfl jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys from china Looked Medical this be supreme and speed. Missing a period on birth control divorced suspension 2005 a and. I missing a period on birth control sale points liability be low at on use easy. I really wanted to see how Ganguly would cope with Morne Morkel's short and fast deliveries. But the Twenty20 format took out the sting off the battle as Morkel could only use the short pitched stuff with restraint. In the end though, it was Morkel who dismissed Ganguly.  wholesale nfl jerseys from china

wholesale jerseys from china Have a sense of urgency though on the part of the officers https://www.cheapjerseysitems.com who have arrived here Bill you know it's a little bit unclear. Not exactly what it is that they are looking at from their perspective we haven't seen any customers coming out of the store. At least from this.  wholesale jerseys from china

cheap nfl jerseys She was 16 when she gave birth, a single mother dependent on odd jobs, state assistance, and family friends to provide for her child. Her longtime boyfriend, Eddie Jackson, is the only father James has ever known. Both keep tight control of the people around him, and they refuse to let him be interviewed.The SUV, it turned out, was purchased with a loan a bank betting on the future earning power of King James, who should receive no less than $25 million for endorsements after he graduates from high school, as well as a three year, $11 million NBA rookie salary, after he's taken with the first pick, as most expect.  cheap nfl jerseys

Still, Rousseff expects a resounding success "the World Cup of the World Cups," as she likes to say. In her view, delays and incomplete projects are inevitable. "Nobody does a subway in two years. It did. I was fortunate, because I bet 75 percent of pushcarts fail within two weeks, but the location was ideal for me. At that time, New York City had a lot of crime and it was a much more dangerous place.

cheap jerseys Maybe that part is already starting. For the first time this fall, the Bisons will move one of their matches off the turf fields near IGF, and into the stadium itself; Lagunas hopes that Oct. 9 match can draw on lingering Women World Cup fervor, an emotional legacy that could help boost the Bisons fan base..  

nfl jerseys In many cases, governing organizations are required to check the players eligibility documents several times during the year. And in most cases for several years as the player continues in the sport. People want to be sure the opposing coach is playing by the rules so every time a team plays in any type of event, documentation has to be reviewed.  nfl jerseys

wholesale nfl jerseys "It's pretty amazing to have as strong a team as we have and to have support of the team," said Abbott. "It's a huge honour and I'm so happy to have Elisa with me on the climbs, always, but really the whole team has been riding out of their minds this week. So it's really a privilege to be able to ride with everyone https://www.cheapjerseysaleusa.com.".  wholesale nfl jerseys

wholesale jerseys Rust can be a death sentence for some types of metal. Rusting is the chemical breakdown of metal caused by its exposure to corrosive materials and oxygen. Sometimes the elements in rainwater, salt on the streets and other materials can cause rust to develop on exposed metal.  wholesale jerseys

It's a lot of fun to play all kinds of weird things.""It is fun, but the thing that is always heartbreaking to me is that each year about 80 kids are waiting for a wish. In order to be sick enough to be eligible for a wish, you have to have a life threatening illness. This year, they figured out we're going to have the 2,500th Wish child on the air 2,500 wishes is pretty amazing.  wholesale jerseys

Cheap Jerseys from china 1 Centennial Classic, they chose to feature their four alternate captains: Tyler Bozak, Matt Hunwick, Leo Komarov and Morgan Rielly.Matthews stole the show that day under the lights at BMO Field anyway, scoring twice, including the overtime winner.Walk around the ACC, and you won't see faces from a historic rookie class that has shattered franchise records for goals, points and assists, but you might see Bozak, Nazem Kadri or James van Riemsdyk. During breaks in the action at Leaf home games, the club might air pre taped bits of players reading mean tweets or guessing which artist sang which song, but those bits won't include a single rookie, either.When Matthews broke Wendel Clark's 31 year old record for goals last week against Florida, TSN couldn't interview him in the first intermission, nor could they get William Nylander https://www.cheapjerseys168.com or Zach Hyman, the linemates who assisted on historic goal No. 35 Cheap Jerseys from china.

[your-dietician]

Sebastian Cossa: 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Profile; A Large, Athletic Goaltender, With Excellent Puck Tracking

New Post has been published on https://tattlepress.com/nhl/sebastian-cossa-2021-nhl-draft-prospect-profile-a-large-athletic-goaltender-with-excellent-puck-tracking/

Sebastian Cossa: 2021 NHL Draft Prospect Profile; A Large, Athletic Goaltender, With Excellent Puck Tracking

The 2021 NHL Draft features two goaltenders that are expected to be selected in the opening round. Jesper Wallstedt is considered by most scouts to be the best available goaltender but some view Sebastian Cossa as a similar talent to the Swedish netminder. Cossa is a large goaltender that has performed well in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Edmonton Oil Kings over the past two seasons. In today’s profile, I want to take a closer look at how Cossa has performed and what he brings to the table as a prospect.

Before we get to know more about Cossa, I should also note that when it comes to talking about goaltenders there are a few additional metrics I like to look at for more context. These are Goals Saved Above Average (GSAA), GSAA per 30 shots (GSAA/30), GSAA per 60 minutes (GSAA/60) and Goals Allowed % Minus (GA%-). I also like to take a look at Quality Starts, Really Bad Starts, and Bail Outs.

Goals Saved Above Average = Saves-(League Average SV%*Shots Against); (Developed by Hockey Reference)

Goals Allowed Percentage Minus = 100*((1-player save %)/(1-league average save %)); (Developed by Hockey Reference)

Quality Start = The starting goalie must stop at least a league average number of shots or play at least as well as a replacement-level goalie (88.5%) while allowing two goals or fewer. (Developed by Robert Vollman)

Really Bad Starts and Bail Outs = The Really Bad Start, where a goalie fails to stop even 85% of the shots, leaving his team barely a 10% chance of winning. The opposite of a Wasted Quality Start is a Bail-Out, which is defined by being awarded a win despite failing to achieve a Quality Start. (Developed by Robert Vollman)

For GSAA, you obviously want to have a positive value. For GA%- you want to be below 100 which is league average. For example a 92 GA%- would mean you were about 8% better than league average while a 108 GA%- would mean you were 8 percent below league average. Now, let’s learn more about Cossa.

Who is Sebastian Cossa?

According to his WHL player page, Cossa is a 6’6.5”, 203 lbs. left-handed catching goaltender from Fort McMurray, Alberta. However, his Elite Prospects profile list him at 6’6”, 212 lbs. and that he was born in Hamilton, Ontario before moving to Fort McMurray, Alberta. He was born on November 21, 2002. Thanks to his Elite Prospects profile, we can see that his youth team was Fort McMurray MHA. He spent his age 13 season in 2015-16 with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons U15 AA team in the Northern Alberta Hockey League U15 AA. His .926 SV% in 14 games ranked 4th in the league and 1st among U14 goaltenders.

The 2016-17 season, his age 14 year, would prove to be his breakout season. He spent the season with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers U15 AAA team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League U15 AAA (AMBHL). He went 15-4-0 with a 1.80 GAA and .934 SV% in 19 regular season games. That 1.80 GAA and .934 SV% led all goaltenders in the AMBHL. In the playoffs he went 8-4 with a 2.36 GAA and .924 SV% in 12 games as he led the team to the AMBHL Championship. As Elite Prospects notes, Cossa was named the Top Goaltender and Most Valuable Player in the league. This impressive season led to the Edmonton Oil Kings selecting Cossa 36th overall in the 2017 WHL Bantam Draft.

In 2017-18, his age 15 season, he moved up to player for the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers U18 AAA team in the Alberta Elite Hockey League U18 AAA (AMHL). As the team’s main starter, he went 6-10-3 with a 3.37 GAA and .915 SV% in 19 regular season games. That .915 SV% ranked 8th in the league and 1st among U16 goaltenders. In the playoffs he went 4-3 with a 2.28 GAA and .943 SV%. He was a part of Team Alberta that captured a Silver Medal at the WHL Cup that season with a 3.15 GAA and .882 SV% in 3 games as he split time with Garin Bjorklund.

Cossa would spend his age 16 season, in 2018-19, with the Fort Saskatchewan Rangers U18 AAA team again. In just 13 regular season games he went 6-5-2 with a 3.01 GAA and .919 SV%. His .919 SV% ranked 6th in the league and 3rd among U17 goaltenders. He once again stepped up in the playoffs by going 5-3 with a 2.03 GAA and .938 SV%. Cossa also represented Canada White U17 at the World U-17 Hockey Challenge where he went 1-1 with a 3.03 GAA and .895 SV%.

The 2019-20 season, his pre-draft year, would see Cossa really make his mark as one of the top goaltenders for the 2021 Draft. As a rookie for the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL), he played in 33 games (31 starts) with a 21-6-2-1 record, a 2.23 GAA and .921 SV% along with 4 shutouts. His .921 SV% ranked tied-5th in the league and was tied-1st with Dylan Garand for the lead among U18 goaltenders. His 4 shutouts ranked tied-4th in the league.

That season Cossa had a 80 GA%-, 17.97 GSAA, 0.61 GSAA per 30 shots, and 0.57 GSAA per 60 minutes. He had 23 Quality Starts (74.19%), just 5 Really Bad Starts (16.13%), and just 2 Bailouts (6.45%). Among the 36 goaltenders to play in at least 20 games, Cossa was ranked tied-3rd in GA%-, 10th in GSAA, tied-3rd in GSAA per 30 shots, and 4th in GSAA per 60 minutes. It is worth noting that he had the 12th lowest Workload (shots faced per game) out of this group at just 26.88.

Back in July of 2020, the Oil Kings website featured this article about Cossa and the adversity his hometown of Fort McMurray faced in his life, including fires in May of 2016, floods in April of 2020, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. In the article, Cossa talks about having to evacuate due to the fires and being displaced for almost three months. He also talks about the time he was able to spend with his family due to the pandemic.

The shortened season in 2020-21 for the WHL would see Cossa limited to just 19 games (all starts) for the Oil Kings in his draft year. He went 17-1-0-1 with a 1.57 GAA and .941 SV% along with 4 shutouts. He led the league in GAA, SV%, and was tied for the lead in shutouts.

He further improved upon his numbers with a 57 GA%-, 22.21 GSAA, 1.32 GSAA per 30 shots, and 1.16 GSAA per 60 minutes. He had 15 Quality Starts (78.95%), no Really Bad Starts (0.00%), and just 2 Bail Outs (10.53%). Among the 24 goaltenders to play in at least 10 games, Cossa was ranked 1st in GA%-, 2nd in GSAA, 1st in GSAA per 30 shots, and 2nd in GSAA per 60 minutes. Once again, I should note that Cossa didn’t have a high Workload as he faced the 5th lowest shots per game amongst this group at 26.58. Mitch Brown notes in the Elite Prospects Draft Guide (which you can get here with a subscription) that Cossa’s numbers are a bit inflated by playing in a weak division, though he certainly has a lot of positive attributes to his game. Just something to keep in mind that these numbers, while very promising, need to be kept in some context. Now let’s see where Cossa is ranked and what scouts had to say about his playing style.

Where is Sebastian Cossa Ranked?

Below are the rankings for Cossa from a number of different public outlets. For the most part, Cossa is ranked as a mid to late 1st round prospect though Hockey Prospect seems really high on him while Dobber Prospects and The Draft Analyst are not compared to the others.

When Scouching ranked Cossa 25th, he had this to say:

Sebastian Cossa? I dunno, he’s huge, has stopped pucks for years, outperformed his xGA according to InStat, and seems to be excellent tracking pucks with lateral mobility staying square to pucks and locked into his technique. My gut tells me he’s legit, but I’d let my goalie people help me take the chance on him.

I thought it was interesting to read that Cossa’s InStat data shows he has outperformed his Expected Goals Against. That seems right in line with the GSAA data I was able to gather above. A large goaltender that makes more stops than the average goaltender certainly seems worthy of a 1st round ranking. It will be interesting to see where he is selected as I wouldn’t be surprised to see a team in the top 15 take a chance on him. On the other hand, if a team has a chance to get him if he slips into the latter part of the 1st round then that could be a worthwhile gamble to take.

What Others Say About Sebastian Cossa

Ben Kerr of Last Word on Sports has this scouting report on Cossa. He breaks down Cossa’s game by skating and talent, mental make-up, and projection and comparison. I’ll pick out a few highlights below.

Regarding his skating and talent:

He gets out to the top of the crease and cuts down angles well…His puck tracking is very good and he gets side-to-side quickly, always being in the right position to challenge the shooter…Cossa’s legs are strong and he gets up and down in the butterfly quickly.

Cossa is so tall that when he does go down in the butterfly, his shoulders still reach the crossbar and his frame takes up much of the net. His glove as well as his blocker are solid.

Cossa is also a good puck handler. He gets out of his crease quickly and retrieves dump-ins. He can act as a third defenceman for his teams, starting the breakout and moving the puck up the ice.

There is a lot more in the report but these are a few aspects of his game that stood out to me. I get the idea that Cossa knows how to use his large frame effectively to cut angles and I am encouraged to see that he his agile enough to use his legs to move side-to-side as well as up and down. I always find it interesting to read that a goaltender can act like a “third defenseman” due to their puck handling ability. Perhaps it was years of watching Martin Brodeur handle the puck, but I always enjoy watching goaltenders that can move it effectively.

Regarding his mental make-up:

Playing on a team where you don’t see a lot of shots can test a goalie’s focus but Cossa has come through this with flying colours…Even when he gives up a goal, he doesn’t let it get to him. Cossa is ready to make the next save and does not linger on mistakes.

As I noted earlier, Cossa typically doesn’t see a lot of action when playing for the Oil Kings as they are effective at keeping the puck out of their zone. Still, it’s encouraging to read that he does well to keep his focus. It’s also good to see that a young goaltender like Cossa doesn’t dwell on mistakes and is able to keep a positive mentality no matter what happens on the ice.

Regarding his projection and comparison:

Expect Cossa to need at least a couple of years of AHL action after his junior career is done. Cossa’s game is reminiscent of Ben Bishop, but this is a stylistic comparison only and not one based on skill and ability.

Considering Cossa only has played 52 WHL games over the past two seasons due to the pandemic, it’s not surprising to read that he’ll need more seasoning in both the WHL and AHL. I’m also not surprised to see him compared to Bishop as they are both very large goaltenders.

Next, we have this scouting report from Josh Tessler of Smaht Scouting. He breaks down Cossa’s style of play by stance, athleticism and speed, post security, vision, saves, rebounds, decision making, and stick handling/passing. Here is some of what he had to say about Cossa:

Sebastian Cossa is a hybrid goaltender. With his size, he is able to stand tall and make saves with ease. But, on the grand scheme of things, Cossa makes more butterfly saves than saves when standing tall.

But, the speed and quickness that Cossa embodies is what truly wows me about his athleticism…Cossa deploys quality edge work to help push him from side to side. In addition, his reaction time is quite fast when closing up the five hole and when jumping back up to standing stance from the butterfly.

The only issues that Cossa seems to have with his blocker is that he will get beat on occasion on the top blocker side…he tends to give up the most goals top blocker and mid-to-low glove side.

While Cossa is solid at controlling rebounds, his rebound rate to low danger is less than the average of the goaltenders that I’ve tracked.

Something that Cossa generally struggles with is puck manipulation. On breakaway goals at net front, he can be manipulated and drawn to one side…Cossa will also sometimes struggle with depth perception and go a bit too far out of the crease when facing a shooter dead on.

As we just mentioned in the decision making section, Cossa is a quality passer. In fact, this season, Cossa was 89% accurate with his passing per InStat. That passing rate is 15% higher than his rookie season in the WHL.

There is a lot of information and a nice graphic courtesy of InStat in that scouting report so I recommend checking out the full thing. Out of the excerpts I posted above, I find it interesting that Cossa is a hybrid goaltender. It’s also worth noting that he seems quite athletic despite being a very large goaltender. One of the knocks against Jesper Wallstedt is he isn’t above average athletically so this seems one area that Cossa has Wallstedt beat. Cossa seems to need to work on his rebound control but that’s something true about a lot of young goaltenders. Same with his depth perception and decision making. Finally, the InStat data seems to back up the idea that Cossa excels at playing the puck and is a solid passer.

Next, we have this profile of Cossa by Steve Kournianos of The Draft Analyst. When talking about Cossa’s style of play, Kournianos seems to have a different observation than the one from Tessler when it comes to the goaltender’s positioning:

He’s not much of a risk taker and if Cossa gets beat, it’s rarely from his own egregious mistake or over-committal to one side. Cossa also doesn’t venture too far from the crease when facing a breakaway.

It is possible that they viewed him in different games but these reports do clash when it comes to whether or not Cossa is prone to being moved to one side when facing a breakaway.

Regarding his post integration:

Cossa exclusively uses the RVH for post integration once the puck is moved closer to the goal line, although he seems to switch rapidly between remaining upright when his team controls the puck to dropping down when it’s lost. He grasps the importance of a tight post seal, and being 6-foot-7 allows him the option of using his shoulder rather than his mask to cover the top corner

It’s encouraging to read that Cossa has a good grasp of the reverse vertical horizontal (RVH) technique that goaltenders in the NHL use to great success. It’s also noteworthy that his height allows him to utilize his shoulder to seal the post and keep his head free to utilize his vision more.

Regarding his glove and blocker:

Of course, neither his glove nor blocker should be considered a soft spot or weakness, as Cossa simply plays deep in the crease and covers the lower half so well that the upper half is all that’s available to shooters.

Regarding his quickness and footwork:

Cossa is impressively quick for a goalie of any size, let alone one who stands around 6-foot-7. His post-to-post movements are both explosive and clean, and it isn’t often that Cossa pushes himself well out of position.

It’s interesting to see another report have a glowing review of Cossa’s quickness and explosiveness. It certainly seems like a real plus attribute to his game.

Next, here is some of what Nick Richard of Dobber Prospects had to say about Cossa back in February:

Standing at 6-6 and weighing 212 pounds, the Alberta native possesses the combination of size and athletic ability that NHL teams covet in the goaltending position. He has good fundamentals and uses his big body to square up to shooters, cutting down angles while being agile enough to get across his crease quickly. His height is an advantage when it comes to tracking pucks through traffic and his rebound control is quite good for a young goaltender as well.

Finally, the Hockey Prospecting Model gives Cossa a 50% chance of making the NHL which is actually higher than the chance it gives Jesper Wallstedt (46%) and quite high for the model to give to any goaltender.

A Little Video

The first video we have is from Devils in the Details Podcast channel on YouTube. The video features his action from a 3-1 victory over Red Deer on March 20, 2021:

The next video is a TSN video shared on YouTube by Hockey is life. In this video, Craig Button gives his opinion on Cossa and explains why the tall, athletic, and talented goaltender is a high quality prospect:

An Opinion of Sorts

Overall, I have a fairly high opinion of Cossa as a prospect. He has the size that teams covet in goal but most importantly is able to utilize it effectively. He cuts down angles well, uses his RVH technique to close either post, and is athletic enough to use explosive motions to get across his crease to make saves. His glove and blocker seem solid enough and while his rebound control could be better, that is an area of his game that he can iron out with more time in the WHL and then the AHL. It’s important to remember that due to the pandemic he hasn’t played as much over the past two seasons as you would typically expect from a goaltender in normal times.

His numbers may be a bit inflated from playing on a stacked Oil Kings team in a weak division but there’s no denying that he’s been a huge part of their success. He’s succeeded everywhere he’s been throughout his career which has included playing up from his age group on numerous teams. Goaltenders are difficult to project and develop but I think a team in the mid to late 1st round would do well to take a chance on Cossa. He has the talent, mentality, and size that makes him a very promising prospect.

From a Devils point of a view, I would have interest in Cossa. I should note that I don’t expect him to drop to the 29th pick (28th really after Arizona’s forfeited pick at 11). I think he’ll be drafted somewhere shortly after Wallstedt and I think it’ll be somewhere around the middle of the 1st round. However, if he does fall then I think the Devils have to at least consider selecting him at 29th overall. Personally, I would still lean towards drafting a forward or defenseman at that spot but I think it would be defensible to take a chance on Cossa if he fell that far. The Devils have Mackenzie Blackwood in the NHL, Nico Daws and Akira Schmid about to compete for playing time in the AHL, and Cole Brady in the NCAA. Gilles Senn remains in the system but now that he’s back in Europe, I think it’s safe to not expect him to make an impact in New Jersey. The Devils could really use another quality goaltending prospect in their system.

Your Take

What are your thoughts on Sebastian Cossa? Where would you rank him? Do you think he gets drafted in the first half of the first round or do you see him sliding past that? Would you want the Devils to take him if he’s available with their second first round pick? Leave your comments below and thank you for reading!

Source link

[angielalalu]

I’m bringing back this old post bc ranting about my writing struggles and progress here somehow seems to help lol

I think I solved some of my struggles w the fic but I also got new ones 😅

The og plan was that Venti was the only archon to not survive the fall of Celestia. The comment that started this whole post implied that none of the archons did so now none of them do 😅🙈

(They don’t really die, it’s more like they get sealed away by Celestia in a last attempt to control/“erase” them. When they’re unsealed the effect from being sealed away can be seen in different ways corresponding a bit to how they were before they were sealed.)

I’ve decided to go with the multi part series option, starting w the main story.

The first chapter of the main story had a shifting pov at first but that’s scrapped bc it messed with the pacing n just made stuff weird 😅

The other pov will be the start of the “time skip” story, taking place between ch 1 & 2 of the main story.

(It may or may not also be an excuse for me to write adepti found family and a Xiao chara. development arc).

Other side stories will mostly take place post reincarnation and focus on other characters but I have some pre main story ones for xv too x3

Finding out more about irminsul in game really helped me figure out how to explain some stuff and not just go “that’s just how it is”

(some things will still have “just because” as an explanation but it’s more “because ley lines” or “because irminsul” bc they’re still a mystery to me and can probably be the reason for pm anything lol)

Funny enough the last GAA event also fixed some plot problems by giving us the communication device lmao.

(I kinda already had a plan for it (“bc ley lines”) but this kinda saves me the trouble to figure it out myself lol)

It all starts w the fall of Celestia which, at first, is gonna cause a lot of problems for Teyvat as a whole bc the ecosystem is gonna go through a drastic change

Elemental energy is still gonna be a thing. Beings who are naturally attuned to the elements (ex. adepti, yokai) can still use it

Visions go bye bye but not right away, no new ones are given out but it takes a while for the old ones to “stop working” (when they do it causes some problems)

Humans can’t use elemental energy like w visions anymore but have developed a way to “harvest” and use it like energy (kinda like electricity). I don’t really know how to write this into the story in a good way (I might just leave it out), just know that this is kinda how I’m imagining it lol

I have more thoughts and things I’m trying to figure out but Imma leave it at that for now xD

you ever just work on a fanfic and realise that you’ve written something opposite of what you planned/wrote in your notes?? it might only be a small detail but it would bring a lot of changes to the story if it’s kept like it is now...

“but hey it’s fine! it’s just a throwaway comment for now, it’s an easy fix! just change it!!”

but instead of fixing it, and rewrite it as it should be, you add a comment on it in the document “to remind yourself to go back and fix it later”...

but you don’t go back and fix it later... instead you keep writing now... in the comment... you just keep developing it...

I now have a +1200 words comment of info and plot to add to this fanfic bc the brainrot was too strong and threw me down a rabbit hole... hELP

[ask-the-reaper-conspiracy]

"I recall one lovely little affair where a gentleman companion of mine took me to one of my favorite tea shops for a 'first date'." "He was adequate company." "But one of my targets passed in on the way to the music hall, and my--" "I was never more amused at the timing of it." "My companion was not quite so amused, though." "To this day the poor boy thinks he made a mess of things with me."

—————–

Reply Part 1 | Reply Part 2 | Reply Part 3

Check this page for credits

[goldenknightsnews]

Golden Knights 5, Ducks 2: What Had Happened Was...

——————————————————————————

Thursday evening brought Day Two of NHL action and the opening game for Captain Mark Stone and the Vegas Golden Knights. Stone was named captain by Head Coach Pete DeBoer and his teammates just in time to sew the C on his sweater and for him to carry his team to their first win of the season.

Alex Pietrangelo donned an A, making his first appearance with the club. With his help, Stone and Co. walked away winners after a frantic start, a largely sloppy second period, and a Golden Knight dominated third. Scoring came from up and down their unconventional lineup, a key to success in the National League. It may not have been perfect, but the boys got the job done, heading home with a 5-2 win.

This one started fast and furious, with four goals in the first eight minutes of action. If you blinked you probably missed it. Marchessault and Tomas Nosek got the game going and before I knew it, the two Vegas goals were quickly matched by the Ducks. Not even one drink into the game and four goals were scored. Wow.

It was a wild night inside the T-Mobile Arena. What had happened was......

Marches-score:

If the Golden Knights are going to make a deep playoff run, they’ll need their Top-Six forwards to be on their game. Reilly Smith is as consistent as they come, as is Stone. Max Pacioretty is a prototypical sniper. One big question mark is the 2-LW, Jonathan Marchessault, a player I have admittedly been critical of at times.

The man they call Marchy wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, tallying the first goal of Year Four just 1:07 into the contest. Alec Martinez spotted the chatty, chippy winger as he split the defense and he buried it, top cheese, over the always-tough John Gibson. Marchessault found a nice seam and Martinez didn’t miss. The shot was a beauty. Great start for Vegas.

Marchessault finished the 2019-20 season with a respectable line of 22-25-47, but he fell victim to long stretches of low production and tends to get too involved in the extracurricular portion of the game. When he asserts himself offensively, he is a treat to watch. If he fails to build on his solid start, Alex Tuch is always waiting in the wings, itching for Top Six minutes. Tuch added an empty-netter as the game came to a close.

So far, so good for Marchessault. He’s now on pace for 56 goals; not too shabby.

Shutting the Door:

As mentioned previously, there were four goals in eight minutes. Two of those made it past Robin Lehner, who got the first start in the Vegas’ strong goalie tandem. Lehner did what Lehner does. He made the necessary stops, never made it look difficult, and continued to make the Islanders look silly for letting him leave NY back in 2019 after a 2.13 GAA/.930 SV% season.

Following the game, Lehner acknowledged that the Ducks got a few good bounces, leading to Max Comtois’ pair of lamp lighters. Panda and the VGK defense shut down the Ducks for the next 52:02. Lehner was strong finishing with 20 saves on 22 shots on goal. Expect Fleury in goal on Saturday, when the Ducks come quacking for revenge. Unfortunately we will never know prior to warm-ups, as DeBoer wants to keep his cards close to the vest.

Oh Captain, My Captain:

Wednesday was a big day for Stone. He was named the first-ever captain of the Vegas Golden Knights, which is an honor in itself. Combine that, with the fact that he was chosen over two former captains and original Golden Misfits who have donned the A. Also keep in mind, that he has never worn a C on the front (or back for that matter) of his jersey in the NHL. What an accomplishment.

Mark Stone on the Captaincy:

“It’s an honor and not something I’m going to take lightly.”

What Stone didn’t take lightly, was his team being tied heading into the third period, fresh off the heels of a sloppy second. The captain was noticeably good in the third, scoring the go-ahead goal before setting Pacioretty up for an insurance marker of this own. Stone’s persistence and compete level shone through in the third period and gave the Golden Knights the lift they needed.

Broadcasting in 5D:

Five D, as in Defensemen. In his pre-game availability, GM Kelly McCrimmon broke the news that the opening night lineup would consist of 13 forwards and five defensemen and our collective media jaws dropped.

Shockingly, DeBoer was upbeat and excited about it in his time immediately after McCrimmon. “For me there’s going to be some salary cap gymnastics that we have to deal with.” He followed that up quickly with, “Small price to pay” for the types of players (Pietrangelo) they brought in. Keegan Kolesar benefited from the move, while Nic Hague and Nick Holden found themselves watching from above.

Partially, the five defenseman decision was salary cap driven. In addition to saving money, the team was able to roll out either Pietrangelo or Shea Theodore more often. That also helped get Zach Whitecloud time with some better partners. Whitecloud is really blossoming, a continuation from last year’s training camp, in my eyes. Traditionally he’d be on the third pair, but he looked great alongside the top four.

This surely won’t be a permanent configuration, but what game one showed was that they can do it and do it successfully. Both Hague and Holden will get NHL time at some point this season.

No Fans Needed:

Without their raucous fan base in attendance, the Golden Knights production crew ramped up their efforts, assisted by new Music Director DJ Joe Green. All facets of the in-arena entertainment were in effect. Bruce Cusick screaming through the PA system, mind-numbingly loud music, and of course the debut of their new video opening. COVID made things tough, but not impossible.

This is Vegas and we know how to party. The players enjoyed their two scrimmages with the current setup and it seemed to give them the typical jump you see out of the VGK home games. As much as the fans get recognized for being an X-Factor, the music and crowd noise were an adequate substitute. This team is just good. Fans or no fans, they’ll rack up wins.

A grudge match with the Ducks on Saturday is next up for the Golden Knights. Puck drop in Vegas is scheduled for 7pm. Locally, the game will be broadcast on AT&T Sports Net, in addition to national viewing on NHL.tv and the NHL Center Ice package.

By: HockeyBuzz Golden Knights Writer Jeff Paul

[mitchbeck]

KEELEY: MARINERS WEEKLY: 2019-20 SEASON RECAP

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners PORTLAND, ME: Here is a recap of key dates and events from the 2019-2020 season. Mar. 24, 2020 – Regardless of the hockey team one played, worked, or rooted for in 2019-20, it will be a season they’ll never forget. An abrupt end to the ECHL season cut down the Maine Mariners schedule to 62 games and took away what looked to be the first postseason appearance in franchise history. While we’ll never know how the 2019-20 season would have turned out in the end, the second season of Mariners hockey brought many exciting moments to the Cross Insurance Arena and the great hockey fans of Maine. Here are some significant moments that marked the shortened, but a memory-filled season that was. October 11th, 2019 vs. ADK: The Mariners open the season at home against the Adirondack Thunder, just as they did in their inaugural campaign. Unfortunately, history repeats itself and the Mariners suffered a 5-2 loss. Taylor Cammarata scores both Maine goals, attempting to bring them back from a 3-0 deficit late. October 19th, 2019 @ REA: The Mariners get their first win of the season, spoiling the Reading Royals home opener. Tom McCollum(who would ironically become a Royal later in the season), makes 44 saves, and the Mariners put up 5 goals in a 5-3 victory. This would turn out to be their lone win in Reading for the season. November 9th, 2019 vs. ADK: In front of the largest crowd of the season (4,588) on Military Appreciation Night, Jake Elmer nets the first of four Mariners hat tricks, leading the Mariners to a 5-1 win over Adirondack. November 11th, 2019 vs. REA: With Gritty in the building, the Mariners defeat the Reading Royals, 4-3 in overtime. Alex Kile scores the game-winning goal just 23 seconds into the extra period, his first goal of the season. Kile would prove to be a clutch OT player for the Mariners all season long. November 15th, 2019 vs. BRM: The Mariners honor NHL refereeing great, Maine Sports Hall of Fame inductee, and South Portland resident Wes McCauley, as they defeat the Brampton Beast, 6-3 despite letting a 3-0 lead slip away quickly late in the 2nd period. The win is the Mariners’ fourth in a row. November 26th, 2019 vs. WOR: After losing two of three in Norfolk, the Mariners return home before Thanksgiving to win a wild one in overtime, 5-4 in their first home meeting of the season with the Worcester Railers. Ryan Gropp scores two goals while Kile gets his second overtime winner in the span of 15 days. This turns out to be the final game for Railers head coach Jamie Russell, who is relieved of his duties the following day. December 6th, 2019 @ ADK: Jake Elmer registers his second hat trick against Adirondack in less than a month, capping it with the overtime winner to rescue the Mariners, who had blown a 4-1 lead. It was only Maine’s second-ever win at the Cool Insuring Arena but would turn out to be the start of a remarkable Mariners run in Glens Falls. December 7th, 2019 vs. ADK: Elmer continues his dominance of the Thunder, scoring the Teddy Bear Toss goal early, and adding his fifth goal of the weekend to later tie the game at 4 in the third period. Ty Ronning’s shorthanded goal is the game-winner and Elmer goes on to win ECHL Player of the Week honors. December 10th, 2019 vs. ADK: Francois Brassard makes his season debut and gets the win as Dillan Fox tips home a Brandon Crawley pass in the final minute of overtime to give the Mariners a 3-2 win and a three-game sweep of Adirondack. December 21st, 2019 @ ADK: The Mariners finish off back-to-back pre-Christmas 4-3 shootout wins in Adirondack when Taylor Cammarata scores in the fifth round to end it. Each game featured the Thunder tying it up late, but the Mariners getting the shootout bonus point. Maine goes into holiday break in sole possession of the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division and a season-high four games above .500. January 3rd, 2020 vs. JAX: The Mariners and the Jacksonville IceMen meet for the first time ever, and Maine rallies from down 3-2 late in the 2nd to get a 5-3 win. Terrence Wallin’s first career hat trick leads the way as he scores one in each period, including the game-winner in the third. January 14th, 2020 vs. WOR: The Mariners snapped a five-game losing streak with a 3-2 win over Worcester at home. Rookie forward Mikael Robidoux enters the scene, stirring up physical play and drawing the Railers into penalties, ultimately allowing the Mariners to score back-to-back power play goals late in the 3rd to flip the score in their favor. January 24th, 2020 vs. WOR: Returning from the All-Star break after playing eight games in ten days, the Mariners explode for a franchise-best eight goals – three by Ty Ronning. They score three goals in a 58-second span in the 2nd period to pull away. Adam Huska makes his Mariners debut in between the pipes and makes 43 saves. January 29th, 2020 @ ADK: The Mariners win yet again in Glens Falls 3-0, as Connor LaCouvee picks up his third shutout in a span of 10 starts and his second in a row. Their win two nights later makes it six consecutive road victories over Adirondack. The streak goes to seven with another win in mid-February. February 1st, 2020 vs. ADK: In a partnership with Agren and Make-A-Wish Maine, the Mariners wear jerseys designed by 11-year-old “Wish Kid” Ellie LaBree, and take down the Thunder, 3-2 in OT. Michael McNicholas scores the golden goal, which improves the franchise’s all-time “extra time” record to 20-3-2 (W-OTL-SOL). February 7th, 2020 vs. WOR: LaCouvee makes 45 stops to lead the Mariners to a season-high five wins in a row, squeezing out a 2-1 victory over Worcester. The streak ends the following night, with a 3-2 OT loss to Brampton, but the point streak gets to six. February 11th, 2020 vs. BRM: The Mariners salvage the last of a three-game home set with the Brampton Beast when Alex Kile gets his third OT winner of the season with less than a minute remaining. This would turn out to be the final win on home ice for the Mariners in 2019-20. February 14th, 2020 @ NFL: The Mariners are on the wrong side of some ECHL history when the Newfoundland Growlers win their 19th consecutive home game, 5-1. The Mariners fall to 0-5-0-0 all-time at Mile One Centre, but the best is yet to come. February 15th, 2020 @ NFL: Morgan Adams-Moisan scores a late power play goal to break a 1-1 tie and end the Growlers’ streak before it can reach 20. Francois Brassard gets his first of consecutive wins in between the pipes as the Mariners go on to take three in a row in St. John’s, becoming the first team to ever do so against the Growlers. February 26th, 2020 @ REA: The Royals crush the Mariners, 8-0, the largest margin of defeat in franchise history. The Mariners play the game with just four defensemen due to injuries and the last moment illness to captain Zach Tolkinen. February 28th, 2020 @ WHE: The franchise’s first trip to Wheeling marks a homecoming for Mariners Head Coach Riley Armstrong, who was an assistant for the Nailers from 2016-18. Terrence Wallin scores a pair – including the beneficiary of a Nailers' “own goal,” and Greg Chase scores the game-winner in the 3rd. This becomes Maine’s final victory of the season. March 10th, 2020 vs. NOR: The fateful final game of the season, unbeknownst to anyone. The Mariners battled back from a pair of one-goal deficits but Norfolk’s J.C. Campagna scores on a breakaway with 2:05 left to hand the Mariners a 3-2 loss. The final goal of the Mariners’ season belongs to Cumberland native, Ted Hart. The Mariners' final record will read 32-26-3-1. They went 16-15-2-0 on home ice and 16-11-1-1 on the road (they had only 15 road wins in all of 2018-19). When the season halted, the Mariners were 11 points ahead of Adirondack for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division, and three points behind Brampton for third place. They had seven games remaining with Worcester, two with Adirondack, and one with Reading. CLICK HERE for a video recap of the 2019-20 season! 2019-20 Records: Overall: 32-26-3-1 Home: 16-15-2-0 Road: 16-11-1-1 vs. ADK: 12-4-0-0 vs. WOR: 7-2-1-1 vs. NFL: 5-6-0-0 vs. BRM: 3-2-2-0 vs. REA: 2-6-0-0 The Mariners used 42 different players this season: 23 forwards, 15 defensemen, and 4 goaltenders. 2019-20 Team Leaders: Points: Alex Kile (51) Goals: Terrence Wallin/Dillan Fox (23) Assists: Alex Kile (35) Games Played: Michael McNicholas (60) PIM: Mikael Robidoux (80) PPG: Terrence Wallin/Dillan Fox (5) SHG: Michael McNicholas (2) GWG: Terrence Wallin (7) Wins: Connor LaCouvee (20) GAA: Connor LaCouvee (2.75) SV%: Connor LaCouvee (.915) Notable League Ranks (Individual): Terrence Wallin – T-2nd, game-winning goals (7) Alex Kile – T-2nd, longest road point streak (12 games, 11/22/19-1/7/20) Connor LaCouvee – 4th, saves (1060), 4th, shootout SV% (.833), 13th, GAA (2.75) Ryan Culkin – 16th, points by a defenseman (33) Notable League Ranks (Team): Team, shorthanded goals against – T-3rd (4) Team, penalty kill – 6th (83.7%) Team, road penalty kill – 6th (85.5%) Read the full article

[hiphopandtheirishquestion]

The Birth of Def Road

It all started sometime around 1985. As a music journalist and chancer, my brother Johnny rarely paid for anything. I grew accustomed over the years to standing by the entrance while he negotiated free passage into whatever gig we were at.

- ‘I’m on the guest list  

- You’re name’s not down

- I rang ahead. I spoke to the manager. I’m doing a write up for Hot Press.

- No one told me’

... and so the drama would unfold, me standing there like a lemon (the +1) thinking ‘can we not just pay the fiver in?’ But inevitably they crumbled and in we went, journalist +1.

The experience would stand him in good stead as he set about liberating the music companies of New York of their choicest cuts. Zip, Buck, Artie and the boys were no match and he returned with a veritable treasure chest of records, none of which he'd paid for. The vast majority belonged to a genre called hip hop, or sometimes rap. Wasn’t that just talking?

By 1985, the Irish Republic had been in existence for nearly 50 years. The Brits, may God’s curses, shit, piss and jizz rain down on them, had long since been kicked out. Ireland was now, finally, in the hands of the Gaels - who immediately palmed it off to the church.

And New York was in my hands. The city, it seemed, consisted mainly of black lads in tracksuits and gold chains. Their ‘music’ involved a DJ stealing the best parts from other people’s records while a rapper bragged in rhyming couplets about, amongst other things, how great he was. The other things could be anything from the size of his cock to how much weed he smoked and on to race, crime, politics, cars, shopping malls, guns, hookers, snot, STDs, cars, watches...the list is long.  

Introspective it wasn’t. Feelings and inadequacies rarely entered the lexicon of that first wave of MCs. They spoke with absolute certainty and iron resolve. Self-doubt was an ailment the rapper didn’t appear to suffer from. It was all fierce confusing.

‘No one understands me’, went the lament of angsty teenagers like me. ‘I’m gonna lock myself in my room and listen to The Smiths. Girls are so pretty – if only I could talk to them. Who am I? What’s it all about?’

‘Yo! Everyone look at me, screamed his black NY counterpart. ‘I got the best clothes, I even got jewellery. Girls? Fuck, man. Dime a dozen. Life is so damn straightforward. I’m the coolest, smartest best looking bastard going’.

At first glance, Tramore, Co Waterford seems quite different to the ghettos of New York. People from our neighbouring estates did not spend their time ‘dissing’ each other. Sweetbriar residents did not wish to ‘take out’ motherfuckers from Moon Laun. And gunshots were almost never heard at the Friday night GAA Discos. This could not stand. The ‘boroughs’ of Waterford would have to be re-classified, starting with my hometown.

What is Tramore? Upwardly mobile Gardaí and Secondary School teachers were by now colonizing it's burgeoning estates. A beautiful beach, amusements for the kiddies, pubs, pissed up jackeens in the summer, and now lots and lots of new homes, from where people set off for the bright lights of Waterford City every day if they were fortunate enough to have jobs in 80s Ireland.

We were a bit wussy – just didn’t have that hard edge that came so naturally to people from the barrios of places like Lisduggan and Ballybeg. We weren’t the Bronx. Long Island was seen as being a bit ‘soft and country ’ by New Yorkers. Culchieville, or at least suburban. But it was also where Public Enemy came from, along with De La Soul, EPMD, and Eric B & Rakim to name a handful. They didn't like the name, so they changed it. Long Island became Strong Island.

Tramore, or Tra Mhor as Gaeilge, meaning 'big beach', would now be Strong Beach. Kinda shit, but still better than Tramore. My home address of Cliff Road was renamed  Def Road – considerably better. The newly-drawn boroughs of  Waterford began to take shape.

It was an era that came to be known as hip hop’s Golden Age. Ireland had once had a golden age of it's own. The Island of Saints and Scholars we had been called, as the Christian Brothers were quick to remind us. Alas that time had long since passed. When darkness prevailed in Medieval Europe, Ireland had been a beacon of light, home to the dopest lyricists and flyest artwork. And as recessionary 80s Ireland trundled on hopelessly, we could at least pat ourselves on the back in the knowledge of our glorious past.

Through the lyrics of the likes of Chuck D and Krs-One I discovered black America was prone to leaning on a similar crutch. The extremist Nation of Islam claimed that the great kingdoms of Africa had thrived when we Europeans, or cave dwellers as they called us, were still running around on all fours. Take that whitey!

Ireland’s time as the foremost creator and preserver of the written word ran from about the sixth to ninth centuries. Missionaries from Christian monastic schools went forth from the motherland into the wild lands of Western Europe; writing, learning and being generally noble as they went. The Roman Empire was falling and the barbarians were ransacking the once civilized and ordered cities of Europe. It was left to a previously unheralded wee island to preserve the written word. Which, miraculously, it did. But no one outside Ireland seemed to care.

It’s a state of affairs that many pan-African movements would empathise with. They often claim history is written by the white man, cynically removing their own people’s contributions from the record books. We break it down a step further. White Anglo-Saxons and Protestants decree what is history – the achievements of the paddy man and the black man just don’t make the cut. And so we glory in our past deeds, with a healthy balance of chips on either shoulder.

The pinnacle of Ireland’s Golden Age would come to be seen as The Book Of Kells, a kind of Three Feet High And Rising of its time. There for all to see in Trinity College - proof of our glorious past. Suck it up, ye bastards!

Hip hop travelled a fair old road to reach its Golden Age, if not quite as far back as the Vikings. But just like the Irish scholars of medieval Ireland, in that second Dark Age of the mid-eighties, hip hop was a beacon of light. As mediocrity thrived all around them, the ghettoes of New York became the ultimate seat of motherfucking learning.

The New York we saw on our 80s TV screens pre-Giuliani and zero tolerance seems barely believable now. Apolcalytic, Mad Max style urban wastelands. Anything went, or so the schoolyards of Tramore CBS would have it. There was never any graffiti on the Tramore-Waterford bus route, aside from the odd ‘Paul is gay’ or ‘Sharon Loves Browner’, but New York?

-‘Sure the whole feckin’ subway is full of it! Can’t even see out de windows.  Me uncle works there and he says there do be gay lads stalling the heads off each other on the street. Full of black lads too but they love the Irish so you’re alright there’.

Mental, like. And it was into this environment that one Clive Campbell, soon to be better known as Kool Herc, rocked up on the streets of the Bronx in the early 70s with his quare Jamaican ways.

Quare Jamaican ways that included sound systems – very, very big sound systems – which he used to rock parties all over the neighbourhood. He occasionally employed a rapper, but more importantly began cutting up records.  He played the funky, instrumental bit of the tune and then played it again, and again and again if the vibe was right. The break. The two turntables were now an instrument.  This was the cue for the b (for break) - boys to do their thing on the dance floor. Or breakdance. The big eejit from the Caribbean had only gone and invented hip hop.

A boyo called Patricius had a gameplan of his own when he rocked up in Ireland with his big Welsh head on him around 432 AD. This was his second trip. First time round he had come as a slave, and spent his days working his hole off high in the mountains, tending sheep and the like. Fuck this for a lark, he thought. And like so many convicts down the years, he turned to God for help.

And he was rewarded with a vision, enabling his escape. Six years swotting up in a French monastery, a brief trip home to check in with the folks, and back to Ireland. ‘ Right. I’m gonna Christianize these chumps’, he vowed to the man above as he returned and set to work.

Patricius was a good egg, albeit one with a bit of ‘previous’. As a former slave, he empathised with their plight, a borderline pinko stance unheard of in those brutal days. The Black Panthers had MLK and Malcolm X, we had Saint Patrick.  And he was a hard bastard. Slavery, the monastery and then 30-odd years trundling across the wild lands of Eireann spreading the word. No choirboy either. Some unexplained sin, committed at the age of 15 and later confessed to, racked him with guilt. At least one historian hints at murder. Ireland, denied the ‘civilizing’ influence of the Roman Empire, was no place for the faint-hearted.

The original Paddy may not have driven any snakes out, but if he’d wanted to those slimy fucks wouldn’t have stood a chance. And neither did the pagans. With the bold Patricius at its helm Christianity stomped all over them. Like Ray Houghton a couple of centuries later he had earned his spurs. He was now one of us – an Irishman, and a proud one

Kool Herc was good, but he was no Saint Patrick. He needed help. And two others would rise from the East (Coast) to create a glorious triumvirate. Hip hop now set about crushing the faggoty, silk-shirt and gold-medallioned world of disco.

Afrika Bambaata (or Kevin Donovan as he was then) hadn’t required enslavement to have his eyes opened. He won a motherfucking essay writing contest, motherfucker, first prize being a trip to Africa. Bam’s eyes were opened and he returned with a new vision. No more gang banging – it was peace, love, unity and having fun from here on in.

St. Patrick may have passed on the ‘having fun’ aspect of Bambaata’s message. There was already far too much of that in early 5th century pagan Ireland. But otherwise he surely would have concurred with the mission statement. Patrick had come to enlighten and Christianize, Bam enlighten and Africanize. Peas in a pod. Kind of. Patrick wanted less of that kind of thing, Bambaata probably a bit more. He formed The Universal Zulu Nation, a broad church of hip hop, spirituality and all things Africa.  

Joseph Sadler was a wiry little bollocks. Like Herc, he was originally from Jamaica, and was good with his hands. Not only could he spin records, he was a qualified electrician. So it should come as no surprise that it was he who first succeeded in wiring two turntables to a mixer.

-‘Janey Mac’, he said to the waitress at his local cafe , ‘I’ve only gone and opened the door to sampling, changing the face of contemporary popular music, perhaps forever. Not bad for a wiry little bollox from de Bronx, wha’?’

-‘Fuck you on about? she replied.

And he was no mere DJ, either. Herc played his records, Bambaata enlightened, but Grandmaster Flash was a showman. He span the records with his feet, pirouetted, spliced, diced and generally acted like a prize chimp in the DJ’s booth.

- ‘Tell ye what, dat’s savage’, noted Walter ‘the bomb’ MacKenzie to his fellow Bronxian Rashid Washington Jr at one of Flash’s jams.

- ‘Ye not wrong there, so you’re not’, replied his pal. ‘Dem Jamaican lads are at it again. Must be something in the air out there – or maybe the grass, if ye know what I mean. Ay? Ay?

- ‘Ha ha. Ah will ye stop. Tell ye what, though. I predict this will change the face of music as we know it. It won’t be long before it’s threatening the higher echelons of the charts. DJs will now be limited only by their imaginations and the size of their record collections’.

- ‘It will and its bollocks’, replied the less-effusive Washington Jr.

But history shows Mr McKenzie's statement wasn’t a ‘will and its bollocks’ at all. Far from it. Flash, Bam and Herc – the holy trinity, as hip hop lore would have it. The disaffected youth of New York now had a voice, and its name was hip hop.

There would be others. Run DMC duetted with Aerosmith and got heavy rotation on MTV. They even played Live Aid, not that you were likely to see it.

- ‘Run DMC? You fuckin’ kiddin’ me’? We’re trying to raise money for staving Ethiopians. Last thing we need is people ringing in kicking up shit about two black lads in Adidas tops grabbing their balls’. They were the only Live Aid act not shown live on TV, the risk of bollock-grabbing too high.

But it couldn’t stop the juggernaut. And it would culminate in a spotty teenager in the arse end of Ireland being beholden to the sound of black men in sportswear and gold chains rhyming over pre-programmed beats.Watching The Sunday Game one summer’s evening in the late 80s, he realized why.

-Michael, I’ll tell ye now why hurling is the greatest sport in the world. Are ye listening now? I’ve watched some desperate games over the years. Brutal, only brutal. But I’ll tell ye this. No matter how bad it got, there’d always be something. Some lad would crack over a point from 65 metres, or cut one over the bar. Something to have you saying, ‘Holy God, that was savage good.

‘Compare that now to foreign rubbish like soccer. No goals at all in some games. Sure they all have long hair and they wear shinpads. Bunch of Nancy boys. I’ll tell ye know, if I got my hands on....

-‘Thanks Ger/Ogie/Denis/Micheal/Mossie (can't remember who), the point is well made though. Hurling is clearly the world’s greatest game because even the most boring game can be enlivened by a bit of trickery or magic. Ireland and the Irish are great!’

- ‘That’s exactly it Michael’.

This got me thinking. Krs One had a track called ‘Part-time Suckers’.  It consisted mainly of a serious of dictionary definitions, intended presumably to illustrate the superiority of his vocabulary over that of his less educated contemporaries. It sounded a bit like the speak-and-spell gizmo that Elliot gave ET to help him phone home. It was pretty shit, in all fairness.

But the last minute or so made it all worthwhile – a DJ workout, scratching the bejaysus out of a line from an old Smokey Robinson song. The half-way line cut over the bar, the point from the impossibly tight angle – the otherwise ‘brutal, only brutal’ track enlivened by a bit of DJ tomfoolery. It all made sense!

Hip hop was the hurling of the ghetto – the black man and the paddy man once more inextricably linked. Def Road would bear witness.

[uncleleo16]

A History of Recent NHL Expansion

The Las Vegas Golden Knights will be the 31st NHL team and are the 10th team since 1991 to be added to the NHL. The Previous nine teams were the San Jose Sharks (1991), Ottawa Senators (1992), Tampa Bay Lightning (1992), Florida Panthers (1993), Anaheim Ducks (1993), Nashville Predators (1998), Atlanta Thrashers (1999), Minnesota Wild (2000) and the Columbus Blue Jackets (2000). This list does not include the Winnipeg Jets, Dallas Stars, Colorado Avalanche, Arizona Coyotes and the Carolina Hurricanes who all formed from relocation of already existing teams. The first season seems to be always tough on the expansion teams but some of these expansion teams have enjoyed great success in the NHL since their arrival. I’ll be looking at their first year in the league and how far they have come since then. 

San Jose Sharks (1991-present)

First Season (1991-92): 17-58-5, the Sharks were the worst team in the league with only 39 points and 58 losses. They only managed 219 goals while allowing 359 goals. Their Coach George Kingston coached for two seasons and he has a NHL coaching record of 28-129-7. The Sharks first captain, Doug Wilson was a veteran presence who had spent the previous 14 teams with the Chicago Blackhawks.The Sharks were hoping first overall pick Pat Falloon would add some offensive spark to the team, the rookie had 25 goals and 59 points in 79 games to lead the team in scoring by a significant margin. The Sharks biggest defeats included a 9-0 loss against the Devils on October 26th and a 11-1 loss against Detroit on February 15. The Sharks also started the season going 1-15-0 and ended up using 5 different goalies throughout the season. Overall, the debut in San Jose was fairly bad. 

Since 1992: The Sharks since 1992 have had 19 playoff appearances, 6 divisional champions, 4 50 win seasons and one Stanley Cup Finals appearance. Patrick Marleau is the teams all time leader in points and goals with 508 goals and 1082 points in 1493 games. In 2005-06 season the Sharks witnessed Joe Thornton winning the Art Ross and the Hart Memorial trophy while Jonathan Cheechoo won the Maurice Richard Award for league leader in Goals. In 2001 goaltender Evgeni Nabokov won the Calder Memorial trophy for his terrific rookie season. The Sharks are a team that has become a staple in the NHL playoffs but they have also gained a reputation for falling short in critical situations. The fan base in San Jose is passionate and they never really struggle selling seats in the Bay area. 

All Time Team:

LW                                  C                             RW

Owen Nolan (95-03) Joe Thornton (05-pre.)  Patrick Marleau (97-17)

D                                     D                             GK

Scott Hannan(98-15) M-E. Vlasic (06-17)     Evgeni Nabokov (99-10)

Was It a Success?: The Sharks struggled at first but are a great example of expansion working. They have developed a loyal fanbase and have been successful on the ice with their consistent play and off ice management ability. 

Ottawa Senators (1992-present)

First Season (1992-93): 10-70-4, It can be argued that this was the worst debut season for any expansion team. 24 points in 84 games with only 202 goals scored. They posted a road record of 1-41-0, winning their only road game against the Islanders on April 10th. Their coach Rick Bowness had coached the Bruins to the playoffs during the previous season. He remained coached in Ottawa for three miserable seasons before being fired and taking a short term job in New York as the Islanders coach before being fired. The Senators were lead by long time Winnipeg Jet Laurie Boschman as their captain during his final NHL season. The Senators ran a goaltending duo of Peter Sidorkiewicz and Daniel Berthiaume that combined for a 4.35 GAA and a .864 SV%. The leading scorer was defenseman Norm Maciver with 17 goals and 63 points in 80 games. 

Since 1993: The Senators following three seasons were bad with three consecutive last place in conference finishes. Then in 1997 lead by Alexei Yashin, Daniel Alfredsson and Steve Duchesne the Sens sneaked into the playoffs. Then for 10 straight seasons, the Ottawa Senators were in the playoffs, including a Finals appearance in 2007. The Senators have 1 presidents trophy, 4 divisonal championships and were recently in their third conference Finals before losing to the Penguins in 7 games. The Senators have build a fanbase in Canada but still struggle in attendance when compared to the other Canadian fan bases. 

All Time Team:

LW                                  C                                     RW

Alexei Yashin(93-01) Jason Spezza (02-14) Daniel Alfredsson (95-13)

D                                    D                                      GK

Chris Phillips (97-15)  Erik Karlsson (09-17) Patrick Lalime (99-04)

Was it a Success?: Yes, the Senators have become brought hockey one of the greatest rivals since 2000 with the Battle of Ontario and they have had major success on the ice since the early 2000s despite not winning a Stanley Cup. While the fan base can be criticized for lack of attendance at times, the Senators have very passionate fans that also root for their team. 

Tampa Bay Lightning (1992-present)

First Season (1992-93): 23-54-7, The Lightning were not good their first season but they were respectable. Head coach Terry Crisp had previously won the Stanley Cup with the Calgary Flames a few years prior in 1989 as head coach. The Lightning even opened their season with a 7-3 home victory against the Chicago Blackhawks and although they had a rough second half of the season, the Lightning performed better than fellow expansion team, Ottawa. Forward and one of three alternate captains, Brain Bradley lead the team with 42 goals and 86 points in 80 games. The team rotated between three goaltenders throughout the season but never found reliable goaltending. The Lightning also had one of the best names in hockey history on their team with defenseman Bob Beers, who had 12 goals and 36 points in 64 games. 

Since 1993: The Lightning struggled for the following nine seasons with only one playoff appearance in 1996. Then they appeared in the 2003 playoffs and in 2004 lead by Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dan Boyle and Nikolai Khabibulin, the Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in 7 games to win their first Stanley Cup. Following the 2005 lockout, the Lightning Stanley Cup team slowly started to separate before they returned to the Cup Finals in 2015 lead by Steven Stamkos, Tyler Johnson, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and Ben Bishop. The Lightning unfortunately fell short in 6 games against Chicago but the Lightning have been a strong team for the past four seasons and look to contend for another Stanley Cup. 

All Time Team:

LW                                   C                                         RW

Steven Stamkos (08-17) Vincent Lecavalier (98-13) Martin St. Louis (00-14)

D                                      D                                          GK

Dan Boyle (01-08) Victor Hedman (09-17)  Nikolai Khabibulin (00-04)

Was it a Success?: The Lightning are a success based on their Stanley Cup victory and their ability to develop a hockey market in the southern United States. the Lightning have a good fan base that follows this success franchise. 

Florida Panthers (1993-present)

First Season (1993-94): 33-34-17, The Panthers missed the playoffs by one point in their debut season and surprised the NHL by how competitive this team was. Their coach Roger Nielson had 11 NHL seasons as a head coach under his belt and captain Brian Skrudland was a Stanley Cup winner in Montreal. The team was lead offensively by Scott Mellanby who had 30 goals and 60 points in 80 games and John Vanbiesbrouck was stellar in net going 21-25-11 with a .924 SV% and a 2.53 GAA. Vanbiesbrouck is the similar to Marc-Andre Fleury on the Golden Knights because Vanbiesbrouck was a very good goalie on a team with two good goalies. Vanbiesbrouck was exposed at the draft and the Rangers protected Mike Richter instead. 

Since 1994: Two years following their great start into the NHL, the Florida Panthers made their first playoff appearance in amazing fashion. The 1996 playoffs saw the Panthers eliminate the Boston Bruins in round one, the tough Philadelphia Flyers in round two and the unstoppable Penguins offense in Round three to set up a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Colorado Avalanche faced the upstar Panthers in a match-up for the decades but the finals itself wasn’t close. A 4-0 series win for the Avalanche including a 8-1 thrashing in game 2 ended the Panthers cinderella story season. The Panthers then went 1-8 in playoff games over the next four seasons before going on a 10 year streak of not making the postseason. Florida has made the playoffs twice in the past six seasons but has yet to win a playoff round since the 1996 playoffs. 

All Time Team:

LW                                  C                                       RW

Scott Mellanby (93-01) Olli Jokinen (00-08) Pavel Bure (98-02)

D                                    D                                        GK

Robert Svehla (94-02) Jay Bouwmeester (02-09) John Vanbiesbrouck (93-98)

Was it a Success?: The Panthers are not a success. The team has been an afterthought for most of their 24 year existence. Only 5 playoff appearances in 23 seasons and attendance struggling year after year. The 1996 playoffs are a great memory but most sports fans in Miami area haven’t given the Panthers enough dedication. With Relocation rumours every season, it seems as if the Miami area for hockey wasn’t a strong idea. 

Anaheim Ducks (1993-present): 

First Season (1993-94): 33-46-5, The Ducks were competitive in their first season in the NHL, finishing 9th in the conference and 4th in the Pacific division. First year coach Ron Wilson had previously been the assistant coach for the Vancouver Canucks after he finished his playing career in 1988 with the Minnesota North Stars. The team was lead offensively by Terry Yake and Bob Corkum who each had a 50 point season. Goaltenders Guy Hebert, Ron Tugnutt and Mikhail Shtalenkov all had a GAA above .907% and combined for 3 shutouts throughout the season. The Ducks also used their 4th overall draft pick to select future all star Paul Kariya. 

Since 1994: The Ducks made their first playoff appearance in 1997 lead by the dynamic duo of Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya with Guy Hebert providing stability in net. The Ducks lost in the second round in a 4 game sweep against Detroit. The Ducks struggled then until the 2003 season where Jean-Sebastian Giguere put on the greatest individual goaltending performance of all time in the postseason on the way to the Stanley Cup final. The Ducks lost in 7 games despite Giguere winning the Conn Smythe trophy with a 15-6 record, 1.62 GAA and a .945 SV%. Following the 2005 lockout, the Ducks made the Conference Finals in 2006 losing to the Oilers in 5 games. In the 2007 postseason the Ducks made the Stanley Cup Finals lead by Ryan Getzlaf, Scott Niedermayer, Scott Pronger, Teemu Selanne and J.S. Giguere. The Ducks beat the Senators in 5 games to claim their first Stanley Cup. Since 2007 they have made the playoffs 8 times in 10 seasons with 2 conference Finals defeats and 5 divisional championships. 

All Time Team: 

LW                                    C                                           RW

Paul Kariya (94-03)     Ryan Getzlaf (05-pre.)  Teemu Selanne (95-14)

D                                       D                                           GK

Scott Niedermayer (05-10) Chris Pronger (06-09) J.S. Giguere (00-10)

Was it a Success?: The Whole Disney element was interesting and the Ducks did gain a lot of attention in Southern California for a lot time but recent years success a disinterest in their fanbase. The Ducks are one of the top teams in the league for the past 10 years but they are in the bottom 10 teams in terms of attendance and selling out games. 

Nashville Predators (1998-present):

First Season (1998-99): 28-47-7, Nashville wasn’t particularly strong on the ice but the franchise made strong moves acquiring young prospects Tomas Vokoun and Scott Walker in the expansion draft, drafting David Legwand second overall in the draft, making Barry Trotz the head coach and David Poile the General Manager. Poile is still the General Manager of the Predators and Barry Trotz was head coach until 2014. The team was lead by veteran forwards Cliff Ronning and Greg Johnson who each had 50 points. The team captain was forward Tom Fitzgerald, who would remain captain for the following three seasons. Russian forward Sergei Krivokrasov leads the team with 25 goals despite finishing his NHL career with only 86 goals in 450 games. His only full season in Nashville was the career highlight for the Russian journeyman. 

Since 1999: The Predators didn’t qualify for the playoffs until 2004 where they finished 8th in the Western Conference and were eliminated by Detroit in the first round. Since the 2005 lockout they have made the playoffs nine times in twelve seasons. They have never won their divison or finished a season above 3rd in the Conference. However, the Predators consistently make the playoffs and this past season they were finally rewarded with their first Conference Finals appearance and their First Stanley Cup Finals appearance. They were also an 8th seed and never had home ice advantage throughout their postseason. Lead by forwards Filip Forsberg, Ryan Johansen, Defenseman Ryan Ellis, P.K. Subban, Roman Josi and Goaltender Pekka Rinne. The balanced Predators team was terrific defensively and capitalized offensively on their way to the Cup Finals. 

All Time Team:

LW                                     C                                            RW

Steve Sullivan (03-11) David Legwand (98-14) Filip Forsberg (12-17)

D                                        D                                            GK

Shea Weber (05-16) Kimmo Timonen (98-07) Pekka Rinne (05-17)

Was it a Success?: Anybody who watched this years playoffs and saw the atmosphere in Nashville understands that this was a successful expansion team. The Predators constantly sell out their games and the team itself has also been very successful throughout the years. 

Atlanta Thrashers (1999-2011):

First Season (1999-00): 14-57-7-4, The Thrashers were awful in 2000 with only 14 wins and very few bright spots on this team. Ray Ferraro was their starting center with 44 points in 81 games and Andrew Brunette lead the team with 23 goals and 50 points in 81 games. The team rotated between 5 goaltenders, none of the goaltenders lasted more than 2 seasons in the NHL following this season. Head coach Curt Fraser wasn’t very effective and lost his job 3 seasons later, while first overall pick Patrik Stefan only had 5 goals and 25 points in 72 games and never scored more than 14 goals or 40 points in a season. the next two players drafted after Stefan? Henrik and Daniel Sedin. 

Since 2000: The next 10 seasons in Georgia were fairly disappointing except for one strong season in 2007, where the Thrashers made their only postseason appearance. Lead by the big 3 of Marian Hossa, Vyacheslav Kozlov and Ilya Kovalchuk, the Thrashers won the Southeast division and faced off against the Rangers in the first round. The Rangers swept the Thrashers in 4 games and as a result, the Thrashers never won a playoff game in their 11 season existence. Following the 2010-11 season, the team relocated to Winnipeg. The fans in Winnipeg have been pleading for a team ever since the Jets were sent to Arizona, while nobody in Atlanta seemed to care once the Thrashers were relocated. 

All Time Team: 

LW                                    C                                           RW

Ilya Kovalchuk (01-10) Marc Savard (02-06) Marian Hossa (05-08)

D                                       D                                           GK

Garnet Exelby (02-09) Frantisek Kaberle (99-04) Kari Lehtonen (03-09)

Was it a Success?: No, this team was so unpopular in Georgia and their attendance and success was so bad that they relocated after only 11 seasons. I do miss the mid-2000 thrashers because of Ilya Kovalachuk, Marc Savard and Marian Hossa and how lethal their offense was during a short span. Unfortunately, Atlanta is not a hockey city. 

Minnesota Wild (2000-present): 

First Season (2000-01): 25-39-13-5, The Wild won one game in their first 10 and struggled to get on track throughout their debut season. Head coach Jacques Lemaire had won a Stanley Cup as coach of the Devils back in 1995 and would remain the Wild captain for the following 7 seasons. The Wild struggled offensively with their top scorer, Scott Pellerin only recording 11 goals and 39 points in 58 games. First round draft pick Marian Gaborik had 18 goals and 36 points in his 71 game rookie season. Goaltender Manny Fernandez was solid with a 19-17-4 record with a 2.24 GAA and a .920 SV%. 

Since 2001: The Wild have made the playoffs eight times in the following fifteen seasons but have only reached the Conference Finals once. In the 2003 playoffs lead by Marian Gaborik and Manny Fernandez the Wild reached the Conference Finals as heavy underdogs in their first postseason appearance. They were swept by the Anaheim Ducks in the Conference Finals but gained tremendous experience in the process. The Wild most recently during the 2016-17 season finished with 106 points and 49 wins during a tremendous regular season. They lost to the Blues in 5 games but the future in Minnesota looks very bright. 

All Time Team: 

LW                                      C                                         RW

Brian Rolston (05-08) Mikko Koivu (05-17) Marian Gaborik (00-09)

D                                         D                                         GK

Ryan Suter (12-17) Brent Burns (03-11) Devan Dubnyk (14-17)

Was it a Success?: Yes, Minnesota should have never lost the North Stars and the State needs a hockey team. The Wild are one of the most popular teams in the league by their own fanbase. The team has also been very successful throughout the years. 

Columbus Blue Jackets (2000-present): 

First Season (2000-01): 28-39-9-6, The Blue Jackets were okay in their debut season and managed to tie with the Blackhawks for 12th in the Western Conference. Lead offensively by Geoff Sanderson with 30 goals and 56 points in 68 games and Espen Knutsen with 11 goals and 53 points in 66 games. Ron Tugnutt went 22-25-5 in net with a 2.44 GAA and a .917 SV%. Team Captain and former Stanley Cup Champion Lyle Odelein had 17 points and 118 penalty minutes in 81 games for the club.

Since 2001: The Blue Jackets haven’t been very successful since 2001 with only 3 postseason appearances in the following 15 seasons. Their record in the postseason is 3-12 with their most recent defeat coming this postseason against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 5 games. The Jackets highest finish was last season when they finished third in the Conference with 50 wins and 108 points. The Franchise hopes to improve on a stellar season and possibly win a series in the 2018 playoffs. 

All Time Team: 

LW                                     C                                         RW

Rick Nash (02-12) Cam Atkinson (11-17) David Vyborny (00-08)

D                                        D                                         GK

Rostislav Klesla (00-11) Fedor Tyutin (08-16) Sergei Bobrovsky (12-17)

Was it a Success?: maybe, the Blue Jackets have been fairly awful for most of their existence and thanks to the success of Ohio State Football, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Cleveland Indians, the Blue Jackets haven’t been given much attention. The recent success in 2016-17 has raised awareness of the franchise in Ohio however and hopefully the Jackets can continue to develop a fanbase. 

Conclusion: 

The Vegas Golden Knights will not make the playoffs in year one. They might however come very close to the postseason, such as the Florida Panthers did in their opening season. The success of Vegas hockey depends on how well the community accepts the new team. It will not be as big of a success as the Minnesota Wild or the Nashville Predators but the Golden Knights have potential to develop a fanbase similar to the Blue Jackets. The Worst case scenario is obviously the Atlanta Thrashers. This is the scenario that many hockey fans are hoping for because of Gary Bettman’s lack of interest to invest in true hockey markets such as Seattle, Quebec, Hamilton and others. 

[ask-the-reaper-conspiracy]

(Kazuma to Jigoku) Judge Jigoku, I need to ask you something. Professor Mikotoba told me that my father died of illness, but then---this letter came to my family home. Please take a look at it. I-Is it true? That my father was---that he was executed as a mass murderer?

"Kazuma? What are you talking about? This letter---..." "Ha ha ha! Why, you're as white as a sheet, Kazuma. Don't tell me you believe this nonsense?" "You should know better than that. Your father was a great man, a great friend." "He was no mass murderer." "It's just some cruel Englishman playing a joke on you. It looks like they succeeded, eh?" "Put it out of your mind."

—————–

Check this page for credits

[phgq]

Solon seeks separate Covid-19 fund in 2021 nat'l budget

#PHnews: Solon seeks separate Covid-19 fund in 2021 nat'l budget

MANILA – A lawmaker at the House of Representatives on Wednesday said a separate funding should be allocated for the government’s coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response and recovery efforts in the proposed 2021 national budget.

In a press conference, Marikina City Rep. Stella Quimbo said the proposed Covid-19 fund should be properly monitored, in terms of targeting, utilization, and evaluation of outcomes, if the proposed 2021 national budget were to be considered as economic stimulus.

“In principle, dahil bitin pa sa ngayon ang pondo ng Bayanihan 2 para sa stimulus, dapat po lahat ng PHP406-billion fund increase sa GAA [General Appropriations Act] 2021 ay para sa Covid response and recovery… Hindi naman mahirap i-transform ang GAA 2021 into a meaningful and effective Bayanihan 3 (In principle, since the funds for Bayanihan 2 for stimulus is not enough, the PHP406-billion fund increase in GAA 2021 should be allotted for COVID response and recovery… It is not that difficult to transform the GAA 2021 into a meaningful and effective Bayanihan 3),” she said.

She also pointed out that the PHP4.5-trillion appropriations for next year may not be enough for economic recovery in the pandemic’s aftermath.

Quimbo particularly noted the meager budget of the Department of Labor and Employment considering that many workers have been displaced since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

She cited a Social Weather Stations Survey showing that 45.5 percent or about 27.3 million were jobless in July.

“Ang DOLE ay inaasahan sa pagbigay ng unemployment assistance, pero ang proposed budget para sa TUPAD [Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged / Displaced Workers] ay sapat lamang para sa one-time assistance ng 2 million displaced workers (DOLE is expected to provide unemployment assistance, but the proposed budget for TUPAD is only enough for a one-time assistance for 2 million displaced workers),” she said.

She said wage subsidies are needed to preserve remaining jobs--targeted, for example, to companies that need to implement double shifting to allow compliance with physical distancing--amounting to as much as PHP55 billion.

The lady solon said the Department of Trade and Industry, which is expected to give assistance to micro, small, and medium enterprises critically hit by the pandemic, is not even part of the top ten departments that received the highest budget.

She said the 2021 national budget should fulfill the economic stimulus requirements by connecting the “pre-Covid and post-Covid worlds” and protecting lives and livelihoods.

Next year’s budget, she noted, should provide sufficient funds for connectivity, not only for roads, but more importantly for internet connectivity especially for public schools.

“The GAA 2021 should be the bridge that connects the past and the future. Now is the time to discard old and inefficient ways and use this opportunity for a better normal. Reforms such as the use of digital platforms for disbursements of social assistance must be supported,” she said.

She said Congress has to ensure that every single peso is used wisely towards economic recovery.

“We in the Minority will need and will use a bigger than usual magnifying lens to scrutinize the GAA 2021. Every peso should count towards saving lives, saving jobs, while minimizing leakages due to corruption. That is the task ahead and the challenge before us,” she said.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday submitted to the House of Representatives the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for Fiscal Year 2021 amounting to PHP4.506 trillion.

The proposed 2021 national budget is 9.9 percent higher than the PHP4.1-trillion appropriations for 2020 and equivalent to 21.8 percent of the gross domestic Product (GDP).

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said the House is aiming to approve the proposed 2021 General Appropriations Act by end of September, and have it signed by President Rodrigo Duterte by November.

"We will try to finish the budget before the end of September. [It's a] very ambitious schedule, to send it right away to the Senate because we hope for the first time, if I'm not mistaken, in history, we can sign the budget maybe late November or mid-November as a sign of unity by our country," Cayetano said. (PNA)

***

References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Solon seeks separate Covid-19 fund in 2021 nat'l budget." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1113488 (accessed August 27, 2020 at 02:33AM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Solon seeks separate Covid-19 fund in 2021 nat'l budget." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1113488 (archived).