SB Nation User Blog: CrossCheckRaise

12/16 Road Music: @ Chicago Blackhawks

CrossCheckRaise — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:07:59 -0000

The Blues won last night, at home, and now they take the show on the road. This is the first meeting with the division-leading Chicago Blackhawks. I had to choke back some bile just typing that last sentence. The 'Hawks have won 3 of their last 5 games (twice in OT), and are coming off a 4-0 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. Our ol' friend Patty "Twenny Cent" Kane got a little banged up, but all indicators are that he'll be playing tonight. He and Captain Serious Jonathan Toews and NHL Whore Marian Hossa form one of the more formidable lines in the NHL.

After testing our mettle against one division leader Tuesday night, we get to do it all over again, on the road, against these guys. There's no secret to this: keep fighting until the battle's won. Never relax, never step back. Keep Pushin' On.

REO Speedwagon/ Keep Pushin'

I know that there's at least one Broke University Pupil that wont mind me drawing from the REO well again. Really, though, these lyrics are perfect for our situation, particularly the second verse...

Goin through all the changes
I made so many mistakes
oh yes I did
Tryin to leave behind the heartaches
And sometimes I think
I was a little bit crazy, oh yeah
Whoa, I keep pushin' on

and the third..

Well it's comin' together
I finally feel like a man
oh yes I do
I never thought that I'd be where I am
Oh everyday I wake a little bit higher
Whoa I keep pushin' on, oh yeah

...we've come so far, but there's a long, long way to go still. We're not there yet....

12/09 Road Music: @ Detroit Red Wings (and back-up GDT)

CrossCheckRaise — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 04:38:58 -0000

Since I first came up with the "Road Music" concept, I have been looking forward to this game. I'm a big fan of Drew Magary, and his weekly NFL column on Deadspin. One feature of that column is the "Pregame Song That Makes Me Want To Run Through A Goddamn Brick Wall". This does it for me. It makes me want to cut someone's head off....

Queen/Princes of the Universe

Is there any doubt that the Red Wings are "the darkest powers"?

Tonight the Blues enter into the Toolbag to take on Detoilet. We took the two games in Sweden, and the last game with them saw a last-minute goal to force OT and a shootout goal from Bertuzzi for Detwat to escape with the extra point. Our boys need to strike a balance of confidence and wariness. We can definitely beat these guys. However, history shows us time and time again that you can play them tough for 58 minutes, and the Ded Wings can beat you with the 2 minutes that you relaxed. Score early, Score often; if you smell blood, you might as well get a taste, too.

The last 5 games have seen the Wings start to awaken from their slump, going 3-1-1. This has nudged them past CBJ for third in the division. A win for us tonight (and CBJ losing to FLA) would allow us to do the same. The best case scenario is Monday's shitty performance prompting Coach Murray to kick ass, leading to the team responding with a little ass-kicking of their own.

When the Blues were in SJ ....

CrossCheckRaise — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:16:05 -0000

When the Blues were in SJ ....

Keith Tkachuk took a minute to join in a pick up game at a SJ rink. I thought some of you all might enjoy this, maybe even know the rink....

12/05 Road Music; @ Los Angeles Kings

CrossCheckRaise — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 15:14:34 -0000

Not much "Pre" to the pre-party, but here we go!

Today we visit our 1967 expansion classmates, the Kings. They've had a great start to the season, and are second (to the Sharks, naturally) in their division. Their success has been largely built on the scoring punch of one line- Anze Kopitar (14-20-34, fourth in the league in points), Ryan Smyth (9-14-23), and Justin Williams (8-12-20). And those numbers are skewed a little: Ryan Smyth has been on IR since 11/16. They aren't fully armed and operational, but they are still dangerous. Despite missing Smyth, they've still won 4 of the last 5.

If you think southern hockey seems weird now, consider how things looked in 1967 when a franchise was planted in sunny SoCal! But, here they remain. This also affords me the excuse to use an Adam Ant tune. I love the drums in this.

Adam and the Ants/ Kings of the Wild Frontier

12/03 Road Music, @ San Jose Sharks

CrossCheckRaise — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:16:59 -0000

Do you know the way....

....to beat the San Jose Sharks? Nobody else does; they sit atop the Western Conference with 42 points (19-6-4) and have won 4 of their last 5. Their record might have something to do with

In the six games they've been together, the mega-powers line of Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau and Joe Thornton has scored a combined 30 points; Thornton's 1 goal and 12 assists; Heatley's 4 goals and 5 assists and Marleau's 6 goals and 2 assists, including his two tallies last night.

(Puck Daddy)

That's a pretty formidable lineup. And it's not like we're not aware of their potency: when they came to town 11/14, goals were scored by Heatley and Thornton.

But let's not give them too much respect here: any team is beatable. We can't play their game; we must make them play ours. And we must remember the lessons from that previous match-up.

Ian Hunter/ Once Bitten, Twice Shy.

And, for the kids out there, here's the version you're more familiar with...just beware of the pyrotechnics:

Road Music; 11/30 @ Columbus Blue Jackets

CrossCheckRaise — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:34:43 -0000

I don't know about you guys, but there's a particular Niagra Ice Dog that I'd like to see more of ...

I'm pissed that we lost that Detroit game in the shootout. Really though, that should have never gone to overtime. This is the second time in the last week that we've allowed a goal with less than a minute to play in regulation.

Can we get a clear, please?

Well, we missed a great opportunity to pass DET in the standings. We have a chance today to at least narrow that gap, with a little help from Dallas. We just have to do our part and beat Columbus. They have lost their last 5 games, with two charity points. Their last game saw a 3-1 lead disappear to an OTL. This team has been improving every year, though, and as long as Rick Nash is on their roster, they will be a threat to put points on the board in rapid fashion. We still need a full 60-minute effort, and certainly can't relax until the clock hits all zeroes. This is especially true on defense.

If only there was some young player, someone that is hungry to play, that the other teams haven't seen much of yet, that is eager to prove himself ready for the big time... Someone that won't take the ice time for granted...

If only ....

Look, Pietrangelo needs to play. Even if he gets sent back to Niagra, at least he'll be on the ice. I can't see how taking the Matt Walker tour of Pressboxes of the NHL (TM) is helping him develop. Murray, let him play. Even if you think he's too young for the Blues...

Doucette/ Mama Let Him Play

For further reading;

Blues vs Blue Jackets coverage

The Cannon

This is also your pre-party. Meet, gripe about 5-day work weeks, bitch about early start times, and try to figure out what this is, exactly:

via cdn.bleacherreport.com

Let's Go Blues!

-CrossCheckRaise

Nov. 27 Road Music: Blues at Nashville

CrossCheckRaise — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 06:12:50 -0000

They call it the Sommet Center (for the moment, anyway), but it will always be Gaylord to me.

For only the second time since Sweden, the Blues play a division opponent — these are the points that are especially important. If it has to happen, we can more afford a cold streak when we are mostly playing the Eastern Conference teams. The win in Dallas would be a particularly timely turning point, now that the next three games are within the Central Division.

Nashville has been an easy team to overlook, but it would be a serious mistake to underestimate them now. They are currently riding a 7-game winning streak, and are also debuting their new third jerseys. I have to admit, they are sharp-looking. Their team will come out with a lot of confidence, and the Blues need to match that with a solid work ethic.

Their goaltending merry-go-round seems to be featuring Pekka Rinne right now. Carousel cast-off Chris Mason demonstrated last season that he still knows how to carry a game in Nashville. I'm sure he will have no problem getting pscyhed-up for the game. The rest of the team can draw from that, as well. No excuses for coming out flat.

Today's song is a rocking tune that I could only feature for a Preds game... for reasons that should be obvious. Too bad that their logo is a cat, because a mascot named PredoBear would be awesome.

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts/ Do You Want To Touch Me (Oh Yeah).

This is also your pre-party. Warm up your leftovers, check out the alternate channel for your area, and discuss exactly how much hotness is added to a chick when she's got a electric guitar (and knows how to use it). Yeah, Joan Jett was one of my earliest Rock 'n Roll crushes.

Lets Go Blues!

-CrossCheckRaise

Blues vs Predators coverage

On the Forecheck

Webcam captures of Blues @ DAL

CrossCheckRaise — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:07:14 -0000

Ya know, I never bothered to learn how the webcam on my laptop worked. Then, a great opportunity came...

.. and I had no idea how to use it. Pardon the amateurishness of this, but I was learning on the fly ...

GT Logo in Dallas 112509

This was shortly after the Brewer / Ott fight towards the end of the 2nd period.

AM Rules Logo 112509

This was when DAL called a timeout with less than a minute left in the game. They would shortly score, tie it up, and force ~~Oshie~~Overtime. Despite a flurry of activity, nobody scored, and we went to a shootout.

BB SO winner 1

Marty Turco exposes a rather gargantuan 5-hole....

BB SO winner 2

And Brad Boyes takes advantage.... Blues Win!

BB SO Winner 4

Enjoy, and I'll try to get better at this. We'll have more opportunities to get the logo on TV, I'm sure...

-CrossCheckRaise

Blues vs Stars coverage

Road Music, 11/25 @ DAL

CrossCheckRaise — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:32:33 -0000

I never thought I'd ever say this, but thank God that homestand is over ....

Here's to hoping that a change of scenery will shake the Blues out of this malaise. The daily routine here at home led to more and more inconsistency. Maybe, the shake up from traveling will allow the Boys in Blue to sharpen their focus. They sure seem to have trouble with that lately.

If they need any more motivation, they can just look at the game film from our last meeting with the ~~North~~ Stars. I'm sure Carlo and BJ are licking their chops to face ~~Cheap~~ Steve ~~Shot~~ Ott again.

Ultimately, we need the win more than we need Ott to bleed. But then again, why can't we have both?

Everybody wants to score. Everybody wants to win. Everybody wants a piece of Ott.

Simply put, Everybody Wants Some!!

Van Halen / Everybody Wants Some!!

This is also your pre-game party, also. Gather, plot new and exciting methods of retribution, debate Van Roth vs Van Hagar, etc etc etc. Remember, tonight's game is on VS, so plan accordingly. The GDT will come shortly before the puck drops.

Lets Go Blues!

-CrossCheckRaise

In celebration of Berglund's goal.....

CrossCheckRaise — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 04:34:11 -0000

In celebration of Berglund's goal.....