OK, so I've been away from the blog for a while. After getting yelled at for not staying current, I suppose it's time to update. Without hockey it's tough to find something to rant and rave about, but I'll give it my best shot.

I've been watching the Olympics like many around the world lately. It's a big day for hockey as the US takes on Finalnd in the semifinals. It's also big for Canada as they take on Slovakia. I had Russia facing Canada in the finals so I guess I blew that call. Oh well. I'm pretty glad Russia went home although I was hoping Canada would lose to send that cry baby Sidney Crosby home. It's great to see the US actually show up and compete in the winter games. Winning three medals in Nordic Combined is awesome and I'm hoping we can play some decent hockey and take home a medal in that as well. It was a little sad to see the ladies figure skating streak come to an end but I think the girls did well. There was no way we were going to beat Asado and Kim. They're freaks out there and it made it a lot more fun to watch.

Aside from that, there's not a lot of other things going on. I appreciate everyone's support on the Air Force debate. After talking to some people, looking into the program, and some serious soul searching, I've decided to rely on loans to finance my education. The debt free nature of the military is incredibly appealing. However, I can't really justify doing it just for that. I would like to serve and I respect everyone who does, but as a physician, the private route seems to be the best fit for me. It's one of those decisions where you have to make it and trust yourself and that's exactly what I'm doing.

That's all I've got for now. NHL hockey resumes next week so I'm sure I'll have plenty to write about. Thanks for reading and as always, I'm Steven Sorci and I approved this message.

 

I just sent the deposit in today. It looks like I'll be attending school there starting in August. I'm really excited but it's still a little scary at the same time. I am confident in myself but it's not going to be easy. Either way, I'll make the best of it and I can't wait to get started. Thank you all for the support. Today is the first day of the rest of my life...

The Sky Iz Fallin...OHNOZ!!!!

The title is what most people think is happening in Blueland. What ever are we going to do! Ilya Kovalchuk was traded from the Atlanta Thrashers on Thursday night because we could not come to terms with him on a contract extension. He was an incredibly important aspect and was a ton of fun to watch and to have on our team. However, I don't really think this is as bad as expected. Dr. Hockey's diagnosis: The Thrashers will press on. Everyone relax.

First of all, I think it's important to realize that agents have a lot to do with these transactions. It may not always be the player or the GM of the team. Everyone likes to flame DW for making awful decisions, but this one doesn't appear to be his fault. Let's see why:

1) Kovalchuk announces this past summer how he wants to see the direction of the team before he makes a decision. Done. The team comes out and has a strong showing at the beginning of the year and is off to the best start in franchise history.

2) Kovy wants some new players to play with so he feels like we can put together a winning team to get into the playoffs. Accomplished. Antropov and Kubina were traded for the dead weight otherwise known as Garnett Exelby. Then, Afinogenov, who happened to be my favorite player in Buffalo, gets a pro tryout and ends up signing with the team.

3) Captain Princess claims he loves it here in Atlanta and that his kids will receive a quality education and it's an excellent place for his family. Fine. He loves it here. We get it.

4) DW and the Atlanta Spirit FINALLY want to spend some money on him and offer him a 12 year, 101 Million dollar contract and he says nah, those other three things I said really aren't as important as money.

So what more could we have done? The guy is not Ovechkin, Malkin, or even Joe Thornton. Those guys are terrific two-way players who have all the great qualities as Kovalchuk and then some. They play defense and they stand their ground. Kovalchuk is weak defensively and is either offsides or turning the puck over. Is he even really deserving of the 12 year contract making him the highest paid player in the NHL? I think not.

He's going to have a hell of a time with the Devils (pun intended). He will NOT be a star there like he was here. He will NOT play the defensive style that NJ plays. He WILL score a lot of goals as he usually does. The Thrashers will NOT move to Hamilton, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Anchorage, Oahu, or any other ridiculous place that many have suggested. The Thrashers WILL continue to win games (they just did after being bussed for 5.5 hours to go 120 miles from DC to Richmond, sitting on the tarmac for 2 hours, and arriving at Philips Arena 50 minutes before game time). The Thrashers will NOT re-sign Kovy before free agency. Kovy will NOT get the money he is looking for with any other NHL team. That is how I see it. I could be wrong. I was once before, but that was a long time ago just to see what it felt like.

Again, I feel the Thrashers will move forward even without our star forward. Many other guys will rise to the occasion and we will continue to win games. Now if we could only figure our goaltending situation out... Stay tuned, and as always, I'm Steven Sorci and I approved this message.