Olympic Break for Some C League Players

The NHL takes a break as the top players go to compete for their home country's hockey team. Our ABC League does not take this Wednesday off, but that doesn't stop some of our top athletes for taking this week's games off to compete in the games.

Few know of the famous Olympians we boast due to their modesty. I am here to share the stories of these versitale athletes. The following players are in our ABC League along with the sport they will compete in.

Adam Keller - Short track speed skating
Brendan McCallum - Curling
Matt Haynes, Chad Beyer, Bill Goodman & Mike Bartak - 4 Man Bobsled
Matt Johnson - Skeleton
Matt Whitaker & Kacy Reeves - Pairs Figure Skating
Lisa Schumacher - Women's Ice Hockey
Tres Hewlett - Ski Jumping & Nordic Combined
Jim Kent & Brian Hobbs - Double Luge
Scott Brueck - Men's Figure Skating
Nataliya Dudechenko - Alpine Skiing
Shane Bast - 10000 Meter Speed Skating
Kristen Zorich & Mike Beede - Ice Dancing
Dave Green - Half Pipe

Best of Luck to these athletes!

Kryptonite (4) Vs Irwins (5) - Shoot Out Win
Hawgs (2) Vs. Alien (19)
Voodoo (3) Vs Red Alert (0)

Some Videos of our Olympians
Shane Bast in net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQnIFN1pYo

Scott Brueck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiMHvW71AE&feature=related

Hobbs & Kent
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNftME5nmqI&feature=related

Dave Green
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEUW1ut6XZ4

Nataliya Dudechenko (with guest appearance by Gannon)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGIVihIlBI4

Lisa Schumacher (playing for the dark team)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXXb4ULiJ64&feature=related

Adult Tourney Coming to Des Moines

Come join the First Annual Midwest Hockey Bash hosted by Champions Hockey Academy and Metro Ice Sports Facility. This Adult Hockey tournament is open to teams in A, B, C, and D league divisions. Players must be 21 years old to participate. Limited spots in each division, team registrations and non-refundable full payments or deposits are now being accepted with the remaining balance due two weeks prior to tournament date. Join us for a fun weekend of hockey right in your backyard!!

Tournament will begin play on Friday, April 30th and run through Sunday, May 2nd.

Tournament Features
Each team is guaranteed 3 games with the top 2 in each division going on to a game 4, for the division Championship.
Championship and runner up teams will receive MEDALLIONS for each division.
BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE for the winning division team.
Each team will receive a COOLER OF BEER after game.
Regular games will feature a PLAYER OF THE GAME, picked by our staff.
Saturday night HAPPY HOUR sponsored by Champions Hockey Academy at a local establishment featuring two hours of free beer and pizza.
Special rates for Host Hotels and bring your golf clubs to play a round. Great Deals, check our website for details.
Check out "Des Moines Happenings" for a list of things to do while you’re visiting. http://www.seedesmoines.com/
Games
Play will be 3 - 13 minute periods with stopped clock play. There will be a 3 minute warm up time at beginning of each game.
Each game will have 2 REFEREES AND TIME/STAT KEEPER.
Rules are posted on website.

Cost
Team registration is $900.00 per team.
Deposit of $400.00 to hold a team spot is required and is non-refundable. Balance is due 2 weeks prior to event.
Registrations are being accepted through March 8th. Final payments are due by April 5th. Check website for more details at www.championshockeyacademy.com

Questions, email me at joebafia@gmail.com

Cupid Cup is Back!!!!

ITS BACK!!!
Cupid Cup 3 on 3 Cross Ice Adult Tourney
Saturday, February 27th from 5ish -? (approx 11 pm)
Bucs Arena
$40 (goalies ½ price)
3 games guaranteed

For those of you that have not had a chance to play in this awesome event, here is a summary:
You will play 3 on 3 hockey cross ice (2 games go on at once since we put a divider up along red line)
6 player per team
3 games guaranteed
Break between games allow you to get free pizza
Beer to be sold up in lounge
Teams created by me to allow players to play with people they may not normally play with
Skill level to be distributed as equally as possible
Very casual game means no pressure to be a superstar.

This event is about socializing , getting in a TON of skating and having fun. The teams with the worst records seem to have the best time.
Novice players should not be intimidated as many have played in this great event. It gives you an opportunity to skate with some better players with no pressure.

Contact me at joebafia@gmail.com for more info or to register. Limited to 48 players & 8 goalies.

I Am Appalled

It was brought to my attention that there were some pictures of Blackhawk players (Kane, Madden & Versteeg) taken in Canada. These pictures had the players shirtless in a limo after a game in Vancouver. A statement by the Blackhawks read:

"We're all in this together," Toews said. "We're all frustrated, but we're going to go out there and focus on what's more important, and that's how we're playing.
"We're dealing with this as a team. We're all responsible for it. We're all responsible for our actions on and off the ice. ... No one is being singled out here. We're going to try to answer back with the way we perform and the way we play."

My anger does not come from the act of 3 shirtless Blackhawks in a limo, but rather the apology they are giving! What are they sorry about?

What is wrong or illegal about some guys taking their shirts off in a limo? Heck, our Vegas team would be apologizing all year for the stuff we do. You have Fascian & Bast who stand up in the limo we ride in Vegas with their shirts off and nobody seems to care. Last year Blomquist came down from his room to the casino, sat down at the BlackJack table wearing nothing but a hotel towel. Was there a press conference? No.

Even in our ABC League we have guys like Dave Green & Pete Anthan parading around the Bucs Lounge after games flexing their muscle. Josh Feathers & Dave Gannon choose to wear muscle T-shirts, but they are just as revealing.

My point is, the Blakhawks are the best team in the NHL. They play hard on & off the ice and that should be rewarded, not punished. The coach should make Madden, Kane & Versteeg a starting line and play them as "skins" because he can! Here you have 3 responsible players that decided to take a limo instead of drive drunk in a foreign country where the speed limit is in KM/HR. They take a few fans and give them an upclose experience of NHL players where other players turn even little kids away for autographs (I still hate you to this day Brett Hull) and they still won their next 2 games against Edmonton & San Jose after the incident.

If I was Blakhawk ownership, I'd buy a team limo and have it ready in every city.

That being said, I'm angry and my picks may not be correct this week with all this emotion.

Puck Hawgs (12) Irwins (9)

Red Alert (0) Kryptonite (17)

Alien (1) Voodoo (0)