Reflecting on 2009

'Tis the season for year on review stuff. I've never been big on that, but I'm home tonight and have nothing else going, so hey... why not?

The year 2009 in my hockey life pretty much mirrored my real life. Ups and downs all year.

For Mathieu, that was pretty exaggerated. He had terrible lows to begin the season with Atlanta, then an incredible resurgence after the trade to Montreal. He was injured and needed surgery, then he signed with a new team for one more year. And now... well, yeah, right now is a supreme, and yet to be resolved, low.

For Brad, my other guy, the year started with lows, as he broke his wrist and then broke his other hand in his first game back from the first injury. These were pretty much the first injuries he had in his career. He spent the summer recouping and training in Florida, and came back in the new season on fire. Remaining in the top 10 in overall league scoring for the whole season. But despite the performance, he was just passed over for the Canadian Olympic team. {added: he picked up another 3 points tonight; take that Team Canada}

In my life, it was the year I think I really realized my sister is gone. She was in a serious accident in 2003 when a drunk driver ran into her. She suffered massive head trauma and barely survived. The doctors warned us that the part of her brain that she injured was the personality part, and that if she recovered enough to be cognitive, she'd be a different person. She did recover enough to be a cognitive and functional, if still very challenged, person, but she's not the same person. Maybe 2010 will be the year I come to terms with that, but 2009 was the year I finally realized that the Jennifer I knew is gone forever. I hope I can learn to like this new person, but it is not easy.

The beginning of the year also saw a radical change in my middle nephew. He and his brothers have lived with my parents since the accident rendered my sister unable to care for them. The middle boy has always been a challenge pretty much since he was a toddler. Terrible tragedies happening at young ages (his father's death in 2002, his mother's accident a year later) didn't help matters. Things fell apart in 2009. At only 13 years old, he was ditching school every day, shoplifting, stealing from my parents, running away. The police were at the house, I think, 7 times. In June, he was remanded to temporary state custody. He was at juvenile hall for several weeks, and is now at a residential school community for troubled kids. We all hope that this finally provides the help that he needs.

Despite those emotional drains, I had some of the highest highs. I conquered my first black diamond ski slope. And survived. I presented research at a national conference in Seattle. I went on an Alaskan cruise. I visited Washington, D.C for the first time. I saw U2 in concert in Las Vegas. I watched my eldest nephew graduate from high school. I welcomed a new little critter into my world with the birth of my friends' first child. I enjoyed the spunky Pittsburgh Penguins slay Goliath and take home the Stanley Cup. And I went to Montreal for the NHL draft... and had the best weekend of my life. I had lunch with one of my hockey idols, scored a goal in a ball hockey game (the first time I ever really used a hockey stick), and met some of the coolest people ever! I made some absolutely great new friends.

So, this year was ok. It wasn't the greatest, it wasn't the worst. It will be remembered, but I look forward to whatever 2010 has to offer.

who knows?

What will happen with Mathieu remains to be seen. What is known is that he will not be returning to the Vancouver Canucks. See the article from the Vancouver Sun for more. I don't have anything really to add. I'm just kind of confused and heart broken about this all.

Manitoba bound?

The team confirmed today that Mathieu was put on waivers after attempts to trade him didn't work out. If he clears waivers, he'll be assigned to the Manitoba Moose of the AHL. Team officials expect him to be claimed, saying there was interest from several clubs. (Source: The Province)

A player claimed on waivers goes to the the team with all salary to be assumed by the new team; if he is assigned to the minors and recalled, the salary is split, with half being paid by the new team and half by the previous. Mathieu's salary may be high enough that a team hopes to split.

Waivers

Mathieu may have actually lasted less time in Vancouver than he did in Atlanta. Who would have thought? He was officially placed on waivers today. The team still hasn't said anything officially, but what is being reported is that he was unhappy with his role on the team and playing time (he was scratched 9 times) and he and the team both think that parting ways would be the best idea. Here is the story from The Province.

It is rare to say of a newspaper's comments section, but I thought they were very good comments. A couple of "he sucks" comments, but even the negative ones were mostly honest and thoughtful.

The blog post by Mike Halford over at the Province's Orland Kurtenblog was also very good. Not giving answers, but pointing out some of the many sides of this whole bizarre turn of events:

"According to Botch, Canucks GM Mike Gillis is shopping the 40-year-old rearguard. Schneider left the team just prior to the Christmas break, apparently frustrated with a lack of ice time and a reduced role on the team. So we ask: Who wears the goat horns for this one? Does Gillis for carrying too many defencemen? Does coach Alain Vigneault for not letting Schneider prove himself? Does Schneider for walking out on his team? Or, is this just one of those things where nobody is to blame, it just didn't work out, hopefully we can still be friends, let's not use the kids as pawns.

And yes, feel free to use the following in your arguments:

- Schneider is 40 and came back from shoulder surgery because he wanted to play, not sit. Otherwise, he would've signed somewhere else or just retired. Did he kinda get screwed over?

- Hockey is business and this is a business decision. Other vets (most recently, Brendan Shanahan in New Jersey) have suffered similar fates. There are no golden tickets.

- Everybody loves Shane O'Brien again and forgot why they even started ragging on him in the first place. With SOB back, Vancouver doesn't need any more defencemen!"

It's kind of how I feel. One minute, I'm angry at Mathieu for being a prima donna; the next, I'm pissed at the Vancouver couch for misusing the talent he was given; then I'm mad at Mathieu for maybe overstaying his career and going out with a whimper; then I'm frustrated that Vancouver brought him in just to sit him.

I'm a mixed up ball of confusion....

EDIT: Here is another blog post that reiterates the "what the hell happened?" kind of questions.

No news is, well, no news

I can't blame it on laziness this time. I can't post any updates because, frankly, I'm pretty broken-hearted. Mathieu is still away from the team, and it is looking more and more like the "personal reasons" has to do with career and not family. While I'm happy that his family is ok, I'm pretty devastated at the possible career outcomes. Moreso than I thought I'd be.

I wish I could write something more profound right now, but sorry, I just can't. I'll try to later.

EDIT: OK, that was really sad. Even too sad for me and I'm pretty freakin' sad. This place has always been a bit irreverent because, well, I am. So here is something more fitting for the Unofficial Mathieu Schneider Homepage.

...This pretty much sums up how I feel right now:

Overreaction Fail - watch more funny videos

P.S. Shout out to the ever lovely and fabulous Angelica (aka islesrebelangel) for posting this on Twitter.

What the heck?

Ok, I've been distracted and lazy. I still need to finish my Hanukkah posts (even though the holiday was over last week). I barely have the energy to really post this, but since rumors are flying I best address this latest news.

Mathieu has been away from practice and missed tonight's game. The team says he's "away with leave" for personal reasons. No comment beyond that. When asked, coach Alain Vigneault wouldn't give time tables either.

The Province threw some gas on the flames, speculating whether the absence was due to questioning his playing future. He's been a healthy scratch for 9 games this season.

I don't know what's going on, and I hope for the best for him and the Schneider clan.

Mathieu joins the search committee to find new NHLPA boss

The NHLPA announced today that five current members will join former Major League Baseball union head, Donald Fehr, in a search committee that will look for a new executive director. The five players are Ryan Getzlaf, Jamie Langenbrunner, Brian Rafalski, Brian Rolston and Mathieu Schneider. Says Fehr:

"These players recognize that this is a critical process, the outcome of which will affect all current and future NHLPA members. I am confident that they will discharge this responsibility in the thoughtful, careful and deliberate manner that the circumstances require."

See full release at the NHLPA website.

December 16, 2009

The Canucks dropped a game at home to the Ducks tonight. Mathieu was held off the scoresheet, but had a shot and finished the game a +1 after 15:47 of total ice time.

6th Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 6:

One of the most recognizable traditions of Hanukkah is the dreidel. The dreidel itself is simply four sided spinning top with a Hebrew letter on each side. Nun, Gimmel, Hay, Shin are the first letters of the phrase "a great miracle happened here" (referring the to the oil lasting 8 days).

Here's how it works. You get a group of people and each take turns. You each start off with an equal pot of loot (change, candy, etc). Everyone puts one piece of their pot into the center (Eventually, more starts ending up there). If you land on נ (Nun), you do nothing on your turn. If you land on ג (Gimmel), you get all of the loot in the center pot. If you land on ה (Hay), you get half of the center pot. If you land on ש (Shin), you have to put half of your pot into the center pot. At the end of a set number of rounds, who ever has the most in his/her personal pot won the game.

You can play with real coins, fruit bits, candy... anything. But one of the best things to play with is gelt, or chocolate coins. (Here comes the stretch....) Mathieu makes a whole lot of gelt. In fact, with his salary this year, he could buy 778,894 bags of gelt (a 5 ounce bag is $1.99 at my local Trader Joe's). Last year, he could have bought three times as many, or 2,889,447 bags!

Here are some break downs:



An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

5th Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 5:

Latkes may be one of the greatest culinary inventions of all time. Fried potatoes. Proof of God!

Here is my go-to recipe for latkes. They aren't bad, but I still can't make them as good an my neighbor.

• 1 pound potatoes, peeled (Yukon gold works well)
  
• 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped onion
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup oil for frying
  

Grate the potatoes. Add grated potatoes to a bowl of ice cold water. Soak potatoes for at least 2 minutes, then drain. Wring out as much water as you can (tip: spread the potatoes AND the onion on a towel, roll up the towel and t.

Put the potato/onion mixture to a bowl and add the egg and salt.Toss until well mixed

Heat 1/4 cup oil in a pan until hot (but not smoking). Add about 2 tablespoons of the to skillet and flatten out gently with the spoon (should be about a 3 inche round) . Cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes each side (until lightly brown). Remove from the pan and drain the extra oil off by placing on a paper towel. Keep warm in the oven (set to low heat, about 250).

Serve with sides of sour cream and applesauce.


As for a Mathieu connection... well, ok, I'm stretching here. A lot. Did you know that Prince Edward Island is known for growing a lot of potatoes?* I didn't until Brad Richard, proud PEI native, revealed such in a radio interview. I also learned from B-Rad that people in Canada refer to PEIers as "spuds" (it is in part 2, at about the 19:45 minute mark).** So... how many times has Mathieu played the most famous hockey playing spud of today?

Four times, with Mathieu having the slight advantage of 2 wins to B-Rad's 1 (and there was a tie in there, when ties could still happen):***

3/8/2004: Tampa Bay @ Detroit, 1-1
12/17/2005: Detroit @ Tampa Bay, 6-3
3/19/2008: Dallas @ Anaheim, 1-2
1/27/2009: Dallas @ Atlanta, 2-0

But B-Rad has 4 wins to Mathieu's 3 in the 2007-2008 playoffs.

*Did you know that despite being TINY (just over 2,000 square miles), PEI produces 30% of the potatoes grown in all of Canada? I looked that up. I didn't learn that from B-Rad. But I would have been most impressed if he had busted out stats like that.

**This post is about Mathieu, but really, that interview is awesome. About 16 minutes on, when they go over his Wikipedia page, is pure gold.

***I originally looked this up last year when they played each other in Atlanta. I only had to add the score from that game, because in the 2 times their teams have played each other since, one or the other has been out of the game.

An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

December 14, 2009

Nothing of note to report in tonight's game. Mathieu played 15:53 of the eventual Canucks win, but was zeros across the board.

4th Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 4:

In 168 BCE, the Syrians/Greeks seized the temple in Jerusalem and made it into a temple for Zeus. Emperor Antiochus went a step further and outlawed the practice of Judiasm and forced all Jews to worship the Greek gods instead. Those who did not comply were killed. This didn't go over well, and a when some soliders made a high priest bow before an idol, well, he kind of flipped out and killed a bunch of folks. That priest than went into hiding, built a small army of fellow rebels, and came back to town to push the Syrian/Greeks out of the land and rededicated the temple to their God. Those rebels are best known as "the Maccabees."

The Maccabees are most known by the books in the (Apocryphal) Bible and the Olympic-like games that share their name. Every four years, Jewish athletes from around the world head to Israel for these elites games.

Again, a pretty tenuous relationship, but Mathieu does have a connection to the Maccabi Games. His brother, Jean-Alain, represented Canada (the country in which he was living as he attended college). He and the Canadian team, under the coaching of legendary Jacques Demers, won the gold medal in hockey that year.


An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

3rd Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 3:

Oil is a big deal in Hanukkah. While the holiday is essentially about the survival of the culture and religion, it is represented most prominently by the story of the lamp burning for 8 days when there was really only enough oil for one night. The burning oil is represented by the 8 nights of candles, and even by the frying of the potato latkes.

Oil is kind of a big deal to use today. It runs our cars, boats and planes; it heats our homes; it makes our plastics. There are several "hot spots" of oil production around the world: the Middle East, Venezula, Texas, Alaska, Alberta. Oil is such a big deal in Alberta that they even have a team named, well, the Oilers.

Some Mathieu connections to the Oilers? Well, kind of tenuous. He's never played for the team, but he's played against the team. So far in his NHL career, he has played 25 games in Edmonton, recording 9 points (2 goals and 7 assists) and 18 penalty minutes; he has been a -5.


An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

December 12, 2009

Mathieu wasn't a healthy scratch tonight, and it was a good thing. He had a hand in the game winning goal. That makes up for the silly penalty he took early in the game (that luckily didn't lead to a goal). He ended the game with 15:25 of total ice time, and was even. Game summary: (boarding), 8:57 of 1st; Kesler (Schneider, Raymond), 6:44 of 3rd (PPG).

2nd Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 2:

The most well-known Hanukkah fact? It's eight days long. Why? So goes the lore, when rededicating the Temple, there was only enough oil to light to the ceremonial candelabrum for one day. And it would have taken 8 days to get more. Miraculously, the small amount of oil lasted that long. That is why candles are lite for eight days. Ta da!

Here are some significant instances of the number 8 for Mathieu:

• It was one of the many jersey numbers he's worn (with the Montreal Canadiens, 1990-1993)
• He scored 8 goals in the 1991-1992 season
• 1997-1998 was his 8th full season in the NHL
• The Atlanta Thrashers was the 8th team of his NHL career
• 2001-2002 was his 8th trip to the NHL playoffs
• His first goal of the 1990-1991 season was the 8th goal of his career
• He had an even 8 penalty minutes in the 2007-2008 playoffs
• We was with Montreal for all or part of 8 seasons
• His eldest daughter just turned 8 years old
  

An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

1st Night of Hanukkah / Chanukah... 2009

On the old site, I used to do something to celebrate Hanukkah (Channukah, חנוכה). Last year, I revived the tradition by presenting 8 days of Mathieu gifts for the 8 days of the holiday. This year, I thought I'd pick a key part of the holiday (a tradition, a symbol, something of historical significance) to share... and connect it in some way to Mathieu.

So, with that said... I present to you gift number 1:


The story of Hanukkah is long. It involves people fighting, temples being destroyed, and the Jewish people, despite being outnumbered, eventually coming away with the victory. After winning the long battle, the Jewish people rededicated their Temple (desecrated during the fight) on the 25th day of the month of Kislev. (that happens to be today, if you didn't figure that out; the Hebrew calendar being lunar based explains why it moves around on "our" calendar every year)

Here are some significant instances of the number 25 for Mathieu:

It was one of the many jersey numbers he's worn (with the NY Rangers, 1998-1999)
Mathieu was traded for the first time when he was 25
His eldest son was born when we has 25
He recorded his first goal as an Atlanta Thrasher on October 25, 2008
He played his first game as a Vancouver Canuck a year later, on October 25, 2009
He had 25 penalty minutes in the 1989-1990 season
25% of his points came from goals in 1991-1992 (he's averaged about 28%)
He scored his 25th goal the 1991-1992 season

An aside: For those who are interested, here is a neat "what you need to know about Hanukkah" story from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune: Spinning Tales: A Hanukkah Primer. And don't laugh at the graphic. That was the first animated gif I ever made, back in 1997 or so (using Claris Works clip art and a semi-legal copy of Photoshop). It was hot stuff at the time. =) And special thanks to Spencer for his advice and Hebrew spellings of things.

December 10, 2009

After being a healthy scratch for the last 4 games, Mathieu returned to the lineup to replace the injured Alex Edler. I was out being social (*shock!*), so I didn't get to see the game. He had no points and no shots in 14:40 total ice time. But he was a +1 in the 4-2 win, and had two trips to the penalty box. Hey, at least he was in the boxscore. Game summary: (hooking), 16:06 of 1st; (delaying the game), 6:36 of 3rd.

Off-topic: best December 7th EVER

We interrupt our slacking with this important announcement...

There is a time in everyone's life when a moment so, um, momentous occurs that the news is broadcast to everyone. You send out announcements with happy pictures. You have your college update the alumni magazine with the news. Everyone on Facebook gets annoyed with you for posting a million updates...

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm about to make such an announcement. Are you ready?


IT SNOWED IN THE BAY AREA!


And I don't mean the usually dusting on the peaks we get every January. I mean, real, significant snowage at near sea-level. And 36 hours later, the hills surrounding the SMC campus still have snow on them! The clouds have moved on, and while it is hovering around 38 degrees here (at almost noon), I think the snow fall is over. And we'll probably have to wait another 30+ years for it to happen again. But we'll have the pictures, videos, and memories. =)



Check out the video one of our students shot (and edited and posted to YouTube within about 12 hours! Mad skills he has):

On moving a lot

Something that came up in the After Hours interview with Mathieu was how he deals with changing teams so often. And that was also the focus of an article in Vancouver's Georgia Straight newpaper. After being traded once, it gets easier... so he says. He even finds positives in some of the dark moments:

“Every place I have played has been special in some way, even places other guys might not want to play. Being on Long Island, I was born in New York and I had a lot of friends there, so that was great. Atlanta was great because my brother lived there. It was tough playing hockey there, but being close to my brother, I haven’t lived next to him or near him since we were teenagers. So our kids got to spend time together, which was really unique.”

The hardest part now is moving the kids, which I can definitely appreciate. But they are not alone. A lot of athletes kids experience the same things, not to mention the hundreds of thousands of military kids. They'll probably have some amazing stories to tell their kids some day.

See the whole article at Straight.com

No updates, 'cause nothing really to update

So yeah, I haven't summarized the epic interview yet. And I haven't updated anything in awhile. I'm lame, I suck.

I can say there hasn't been much to update anyway since Mathieu has been a healthy scratch the last 3 games. According to the Vancouver Sun, he will sit out the 4th straight tonight. Hrmph.