Big weekend

This is the weekend I've been waiting for ... I'm hoping to get down to Chesswood for the Bantam tourney tomorrow after work to see one of my favourite coach's sons play, followed by Saturday afternoon at the Toronto International Film Festival, where I'll be going to see the upcoming hockey film, Goon, co-written by Canadian boy Jay Baruchel and starring Seann William Scott, otherwise known as American Pie's Stiffler. And then Saturday night is our home opener!

Sounds like a good weekend, right?

I have also started blogging for hockey lifestyle apparel company, Gongshow, who I have long-since been a fan of. From reading my blogs, you'll see their name littered in here a few times ... not product placement! I actually do love their products and wear them. I was in my first year of university (about a hundred years ago) when this guy on the team at school somehow got me talking to his friend from back home, who ran this hockey website, and I remember him telling me on ICQ (one of my puppies said the other day I'm dating myself by saying I used ICQ ... C'monnn I'm not THAT old?) he said, "Check out my website."

And now look at it. Very cool, glad to be a part of it.

Now, what's totally unbelievable to me, is that with all these exciting things, not one of the boys has bothered to ask me what I'm going to wear! (For my new readers, this is Foxy's idea of humour.)

I really want to talk lots about Goon, but I'll save it until after I actually see the finished product. There is one thing, that I definitely will say I am going to try to wear. My mukluks. Last year, when they were filming in our rink in Winnipeg, we had a game earlier in the evening, and then was going to cover the movie shoot, which started at 11 p.m. after the team was finished. I stayed at the rink after, sat down in the rink office and wrote my game story while I waited for some famous people. (Be nice to the rinkies, and they'll be nice to you.)

I love this picture because it was taken from our bench. The girl who was doing the stills was tall like me and had those amazing furry boot-covers. If you look across at the top, that's the press box. During the second period (when my team was shooting away from where I stand to take photos) you would find me here eating my supper -- usually ceasar salad with chicken -- and a large coffee with three milks. (First person to buy me a coffee this season gets a mention haha)

The movie people were using our team's dressing room as one of the filming locations, and I was trying to get down to the room to Coach's office, and there were people all over the place. As I was making my way down the hall, the girl in charge of wardrobe spotted me and said, "Great outfit! Looks very authentic!" Then asked me if I was looking for the casting director. "Oh, I'm not an extra," I had to explain. "I work here." A couple of the other girls were asking me where I got them (which, as you know from my posts below is from a little old lady who makes them by hand. Best way to make other girls jealous ... exclusive footwear.) So, I figured since I'll likely be the only person from Winnipeg here in TO watching the movie at TIFF, I'll try to wear them. Unless it's 30 degrees. They're just too hot.

And as for the home opener? I haven't 100% decided yet. I'm thinking black stiletto boots, darkwash denim Bench jacket and grey dress pants. I'm still debating about wearing a hat or not. I think hats and heels look silly together, and usually tend to pick one or the other. One small problem .... the coach, who is my dear friend ... is the same height as me. If I wear heels, he will look tiny. (I have a cute story about that. I think I'll write it in my Gongshow blog one day.)

For all the girls who don't follow Junior and have to wait another month for hockey to start, have you given any thought to what you might wear? (And what's the weather like where you watch hockey?)

Are you on Twitter? @hockey_foxx ... get at me :)

And give my boy Smitty a read at http://justdangle.blogspot.com/

Another tragedy strikes the hockey community

They say in hockey, no matter where you go, someone always knows someone you know. Every time I move somewhere new and meet my new team, one guy says, "Oh, yeah, Miller .. that guy's unreal eh? Played with him in Midget."

Today, the loss of 40-plus members of our family has struck far and wide. Whether it was a player you remember watching when you were young (in my case, when I used to be a Leafs fan, Igor Korolev and Alexander Karpovtsev, who were listed as assistant coaches) or someone you played with or against.

The saddest thing I read today was from retired NHLer Jeff O'Neill, who is from near where I'm from, and said "Brad McCrimmon my very first NHL roommate. No one loved hockey more! Love you "beast" you taught me so much about respect."

And it is the loss of Brad McCrimmon that has brought me the most sorrow -- never had the pleasure of meeting him, but I did get the chance to interact with his brother Kelly last year while covering the Wheat Kings. So when I say I'm thinking of his family, that's who I'm thinking of. I remember seeing a huge photo of Brad on the wall in the labyrinth-like tunnels in the bowels of Westman Place Arena in Wheat City.

To all of my friends and acquaintences and most importantly my hockey family, who have been touched by this unfathomable tragedy, may we come together in this time of dispair.

When reports of the death of Rick Rypien began to surface earlier this summer, one of my favourite sports media personalities, Down Goes Brown, tweeted "Worst Offseason Ever." Little did we know what else was to come. There are no words for the loss the hockey world has suffered this off-season.

LI Ink?

How would you like to get inked while watching the Isles? Sounds bizarre, but it's true. The New York Islanders have paired up with a local tattoo shop to provide fans with the experience of getting tatted while catching the game.


Tattoo Lou's will be setting up shop at Nassau for ten home games this season (which they've touted on their website to include Ranger games) at a venue in the arena called "The Penalty Box." Merch and swag will be for sale as well as the opportunity to get a tat, piercing or temporary body art. Don't worry ... if you get inked during the game, it's shown inside the shop on CC television for your viewing pleasure, so you don't have to miss a minute of the action.

I thought some of the designs are kind of cool ... like the one here, with an outline of Long Island. I love city repping -- St. Louis Blues forward Chris Stewart has a very cool piece on his forearm that bears the Toronto city skyline. (Brother Anthony once asked him, "Can you put me right over here walking Dexter?" ... little brother's reply? Umm no.)

This got me wondering about some other cool ideas for hockey tattoos. I have only one tat myself, and of course, it's a hockey tattoo. I have the quintessential Hockey Canada logo. While this may sound unoriginal and boring, I thought about it for five years before I actually got it done, and wanted to make sure it was something I was getting done just for me. I don't typically tend to show it to people, or tell them I have one, it's just for me. And I know it's there, representing two things I truly love and value, hockey, and the greatest country in the world.

I'm super glad I never got a Leafs tattoo ... since I'm not speaking to them at the moment and all. I do recall a few players having some interesting pieces ... I know Rick Nash has a few, here are some that I found.

The lovely and wonderful Brent Burns, who is from my hometown of Toronto, and is the same age as me -- he played junior A when I was in Grade 11, and I remember going to see him play a few times. He apparently also has some others on his back that look like some bunch of his pets or animals of some description?

Here is one of another one of my Toronto boys, and former Team Canada member, Raffi Torres, with this awkward, super Yankee-fied eagle thing. I can't post photos today, blogger has been giving me grief for the last hour and a half and refusing to post anything. So you'll have to fend for yourself and click here ...

And for another one of my favourite people, the veritable sweetheart, Arron Asham, who actually has a number of tatties, however only one can be seen in this photo with some of his former (Flyer) teammates. The one on his arm there is a chief in headdress paying homage to his Métis roots. Asham is probably one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure of meeting, and while he LOOKS super scary, he's actually a super sweet guy, very humble and a real pleasure to be around.

Ovechkin has some gross tramp stamp on himself ... not even going to link to a photo of his disgusting mug. Good thing he's unreal at hockey, he's got a face not even a mother could love. Gross.

Not sure I'd get another hockey tat ... and even less sure I'd get one at a game, but when in Long Island, I would definitely get a nice little heart with my second-husband's initials in it JT ;)

Do you have a hockey tat? What does it look like? Or what would it look like if you did have one?