It's summer

There is absolutely nothing to report, and I can't think of anything interesting to say. So...

Here is a picture of Vincent Lecavalier riding an elephant.

November 28, 2009

Vancouver got a huge win over Edmonton tonight, throttling the Oilers 7-3. Mathieu had no points, but was a +1 after logging 18:53 total ice time (a season high, I believe; but I'd have to go back and look that up and, frankly, I've had an epicly awesome evening and my wits are not exactly with me right now).

Ok, it was mentioned above as an aside, but why was this evening so epic? Sidney Crosby had 5 points and a hat trick (yes, I'm a semi-closeted Sidney Crosby fan; don't hold it against me. The kid is freakin' amazing... and totally adorable), and B-Rad continued his tear to the top of the scoring charts knocking in 2 more points tonight against his old team and BFF Vincent Lecavalier. (My guys B-Rad and VINNY!! in the same game again was enough to knock me over today).

Also... Mathieu was the guest on the 30 minute long interview show After Hours, following Hockey Night in Canada. Thanks to my fabulous subscription to Center Ice (which has already paid for itself by making me happier than a duck in the rain), I was able to watch the whole thing and it was AMAZING!

a screen shot, courtesy of the ever fabulous Amanda
(who is seriously my Canadian sister from another mother)

My face hurts from smiling so much. The interview was great enough to warrant it's own post, which will come tomorrow. But I'm pooped and can barely string a sentence together. There is an Unofficial Mathieu Schneider Homepage connection to the After Hours interview, so stay tuned to find out what it is...


P.S. Happy birthday Shannon Schneider! =) Among the many golden nuggets in the After Hours interview, Mathieu mentioned today is his lovely wife's birthday. She threw him an epic 40th birthday party, and he gets to play on hers. At least she got a shout out on national television (international, really, since I was watching it in the States)

The news well is dry

Still haven't heard squat in the where-will-Mathieu-be-next-year department. I heard some deals were being considered, but that was weeks ago and nothing since.

So, since there is nothing to report, here is a picture of Vincent Lecavalier surfing in Hawaii.


Ok, seriously. Something needs to happen. I'm running out of random Vinny vacation images.

minuscule update

Ha ha! News! Well... sort of.

In today's Globe and Mail, there was this little tidbit from "Stressful Summer for Unchosen Ones," from Eric Duhatschek:

There is a seasonal element to NHL player movement that mirrors the ups and downs stock market – and nowhere is that more evident than in the case of Derek Morris and Mathieu Schneider, two useful players who are languishing on the unrestricted free-agent list, some 17 days and counting after the doors opened for business in the summer of 2009...

That's sad.

But from ESPN's almighty Pierre LeBrun (via a dedicated reader of this site):

Mathieu Schneider was a big boost to the Montreal Canadiens' power play late last season, but the UFA remains unsigned. A source close to the veteran blueliner said Friday he was in serious talks with three teams.

That's positive at least.

I do hope something comes about soon. The schedule is out and I need to make plans for San Jose tickets.

no news, and a true confession

Six days of free agency are gone, and Mathieu remains teamless. I've been monitoring all news sources, and there is nothing, not even rumors, out there right now.

Since there is no news to report, let me take this opportunity to make a confession and hopefully unburden my soul so that I may again get a good nights sleep....

I think I'm being punished. Ever since I posted that picture of Vincent Lecavalier riding a camel, I've been having a weird recurring dream that he lives in my apartment. It is like we live parallel lives in my place. I hardly ever actually see him, and we never speak or interact. Except... he keeps rearranging my furniture and eating all of my Trader Joe's chocolate orange sticks.

Now, Vinny isn't exactly nightmare material. Far from it. But it's really creepy dreaming about someone you don't know. And even imagined theft of my orange sticks is too much for me. So maybe by saying this out loud I might be able to free my psyche from this dark torture. Hopefully...

The slow summer begins...

With the season officially open, not much to do until the draft and opening of free agency. Montreal has said that Mathieu was still of interest to them. I haven't heard anything else. Bummer.

So instead of real news, here is a picture of Vincent Lecavalier and some Middle Eastern ruins.

Off-topic: awkward teenage-ness

Being an awkward teenager is no fun. But being an awkward teenager that grows up to be somewhat famous, or at least more publicly known then the average person, must suck even worse. Especially if you were an awkward teenager any time after, say, the mid- to late- 1990s. Why? Because there are pictures! And everyone can see them.

During a hockey-less day last week, I was making due by following the Memorial Cup. Nothing like a little Canadian junior hockey action to fill a gap in NHL coverage. Anyway, the tournament this year was in Rimouski, Quebec. The Rimouski Oceanic team has produced three (potentially 4) NHLers in the last 10 years; the three that are currently in the NHL are, well, kind of big names that you may have heard of before.

Anyway, I was looking around their site seeing who might be the next one to make it big, and some how found the old rosters. And those old rosters had old head shots. I don't know why they cracked me up so much, but they really did. And thus I share with you, 16-17 year old Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, and Sidney Crosby:

Brad does not look that different at all (though I think this was the pic from his last season, so he would have been 18 or 19). Vinny... whew, I would have had to check a birth certificate to make sure he was old enough to even be eligible for juniors. (there is also a weird-- yet striking-- resemblance to my youngest nephew; I don't know what it is, but I showed my mom and she agrees. Either my 10 year old nephew has some unknown French ancestory, or Vinny has some African roots he may never have known about) And Sidney... love the hair.

And in total fairness to the guys, here I am from my high school yearbook (it was junior year, so I would have been an equivalent age):

(I didn't have polka dots; the scan just came out weird)

Looking back, that was not a terrible picture of me at that age. It must have been just after I had gotten my braces off and just before I got glasses. Lucky, my eyes went bad after my teeth were fixed, so I avoided the dreaded brace-face / four-eyes double threat.

I would have loved to include a picture of Mathieu at 16, but, um, the Internet wasn't really invented yet. I'm sure his headshots from Mt. St. Charles Academy and the Cornwall Royals are out there somewhere in a print program or something. I do have one picture of him from about that time that someone sent me, but I swore I'd never post it publicly. And my word is good. =P

Still no news

Still no news. And I had a crappy last few days. So here is a picture of Vinny Lecavalier riding a camel.

Questionable

Questionable is how Mathieu's status for the next game is being described.

It is also an apt description for anything I might attempt to write right now. Mother Nature is having total issues right now and seems to forgotten that it is April in the San Francisco Bay Area. Temps in the mid-90s (and temps that just don't seem to break at night) have made me a miserable lump.

Oh, and the Sharks are tanking and the Habs are facing elimintation. Not exactly the happiest of times.

But to make myself feel better, here is a totally hot picture of today's birthday boy: Vinny Lecavalier.

Off-topic: good personal showing, unfortunate team result

Well, Brad Richards' team didn't get the win in his return to Tampa Bay, but he sure did his part, having a hand in both of Dallas' scores. The first one was the one that's getting talked about, and the one that actually made me leap out of my chair in disbelief. B-rad's "brother from another mother," Vincent Lecavalier, scored the first goal of the game; on the next play, 20 seconds later, B-Rad ties it with a goal of his own. Vinny had to go and ruin everything by later scoring the game winner for Tampa. Gee, thanks Vinny! =P

The Lightning put together a video tribute and showed it on the JumboTron. It was set to the song "Momma I'm Coming Home" by Ozzy Osbourne, which is just cruel. I mean, something about that song is sad even without the meaning the lyrics have in this situation.* He was thoroughly applauded by the Tampa crowd, and was gracious about the attention. Though he did seem a little chocked up for a second during the 2nd intermission interview. (But he was kind of breathless, having just coming off the ice... yea, that's it!)

Now, that first "homecoming" is over, so it's upward and onward from here.

*At least it wasn't Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors." That song makes me ball like an infant. Seriously. I tear up whenever I hear it. Yoooou... with the sad eyes...

Off-topic: B-Rad goes "home"

Mathieu has been traded so many times, his return to a former team barely warrants a mention. Maybe the play-by-play guys will throw in a "Schneider, a former -fill in the blank- " during the game, or a newspaper will get a quote from him about how great his time in -fill in the blank- was. But nothing compares to the storyline today of Brad Richards returning to play in Tampa Bay tonight. Why is this key?

• It is the only other team he's ever known
• He has often expressed his love for the area, and has said he will probably retire there (he still has his house there, and his parents live there during the worst of the winter months in PEI)
  
• He was long thought to be one of their core "lifers"
• There was that whole winning the Stanley Cup thing
• And that Conn Smythe trophy for playoff MVP after he scored 7 game winning goals for the Lightning on route to their championship
  

But of course the biggest story line, and the heart-string tugger is that he will, for the first time in his life, play against his best friend Vincent Lecavalier. They've been on the same team since they were 14 years old: in high school, in juniors, on various Team Canadas, with Ak-Bars Kazan in the Russian Elite League during the lock-out, and of course at Tampa Bay.


The media is all over this, so here are the links:

Stars' Richards Makes First Return to Tampa (Tampa Bay Online)
Dallas Stars' Brad Richards Returns to Face Tampa Bay Lightning for First Time (St. Petersburg Times)
It's Reunion Time when Dallas Stars Face Lightning (Fort Worth Star-Telegram)
Tampa Bay has Familiar Look to Dallas Stars (Dallas Morning News)

He said Sunday night might be a sleepless night, and "it's just going to have a different feel in my stomach before the game." I know the knot in even my stomach is different!

January 4, 2008, or does anyone care?

Atlanta had another rough lose, after which head coach John Anderson stated, "Our give-a-crap level was like at zero. After we have a big win [Friday] against Vancouver, against a real good hockey team, we throw that game [against Tampa Bay]. I’ve got to question whether anybody cares in that locker room. That’s a joke.” Ouch. But at least someone said it. Game summary: (hooking), 1:54 of 1st; (hooking), 10:21 of 3rd.

But... being that it was a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning, I get an excuse to post one of my favorite pictures of Vinny Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis: