Merry Christmas everybody!

CaptainShark

Registered User
Sep 25, 2004
4,452
3,007
Fulda, Germany
Every Christmas I sit down to think about the things that i am thankful for. And this year it struck me, how great it is to be a longstanding part of this community here, that brings together people from all over the globe to talk about the greatest sport on planet earth. And you should know about that.

I am thankful for my fellow Sharks fans, funny, knowledgeable, annoying, cocky, fatalistic…

I am thankful for all the posters that contribute to the prospects board and help me follow a lot of interesting prospects that I can’t follow directly cause life is getting in the way.

I am thankful for the mods who do a great job to keep this ship on track.

I am thankful for everyone in here, cause everybody contributes in his own way: sometimes it is good to get into a heated argument, sometimes it helps to get the perspective from the other side, sometimes some (willingly or unwillingly) funny bullshit cracks me up… i could go on and on, but i think you get the gist.

In the spirit of the season, I want everyone contributing in this thread to wish something to an NHL-team and/or its fanbase while going through the teams in alphabetical order.

I will start with the Anaheim Ducks: Given that the Ducks have amassed a boatload of talent in goal, on D and at F, there is not much to wish for, except a little bit more patience with their rebuilt: it will not be too long before they start knocking on the door and will climb to the top of the NHL.

Merry Christmas to everyone here at HFBoards.
 

Jumptheshark

Rebooting myself
Oct 12, 2003
101,487
15,298
Somewhere on Uranus
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I work in hotels so 25th means nothing to me
 

NyQuil

Big F$&*in Q
Jan 5, 2005
99,606
66,376
Ottawa, ON
‘Twas the night before Christmas.

I just went undrafted in the 2003 draft. This is where I first heard the name of Kris Letang - a person I couldnt believe would save my life, a few months later.

I went back to my hometown Val D'Or, to meet with my girlfriend which I would end up marry for Christmas. I was driving through one of those exceptionnal snowstorm you would end up telling your kids about. I just had a freak injury, working in the shop, so I was driving my Toyota Camry with a arm in a plaster.

It was a 8 hours road, through snow and hell, with only one functional arm! This was obviously very dangerous, but I was in a hard place in my life and I just really wanted to be with my girlfriend. So I drove until I got lost - and snowed in. I remember it being around 9 pm, only, and thinking it was a matter of time before another car would take the same winding road as me and help me out.

Keep in mind this was early 2000. I didnt even had one of those bad cellphone with bad reception. I was just sitting there, hoping for glowing lights to appear behind me. My mind was running wild - I kept thinking about my future, the dream I had to play in the NHL was all but lost. Between the pratices, my bad grad at school, a girlfriend I would neglect... I got lost among my dream.

Then the snow got thickier, thickier, and I had to get out every hour or so to make sure my Camry wouldnt get snowed-in. I had a fair amount of gaz left, but I thought... what if?

What if no one pass by this road? What if I have to sleep here? Would I get frozen to death? Probably not, but I was starting to get scared. I couldnt start to walk anyway, because I was seriously lost, and I might have been miles away from the closest home.

So I did what I had to do : I slept there. I took all the clothes I had in my luggage, made myself a nice bed, and prayed I wouldnt get frozen to death, and thinking my girlfriend would be worried sick.

Just like in a horror movie, I was waken up by a loud banging on my window - giving me the scare of my life. And there was a young dude, besides his pickup. I checked time, it was a little bit past 6 a.m.

Kris Letang was there, on his route from Montréal to Val D'or, to meet players he met at a training camp. It's the team that drafted him, and for which he'd ended up playing.

My car was out of gaz - but I was so relieved to finally see someone. Kris picked me up, and we would do the road to the closest gaz station. Even at the times, he was already extremely beautiful, with his long dark hair and his dreamy eyes. I remember thinking how nice he smelled, especially for someone who just drove a long night roadtrip.

We discussed the previous draft, in which we were both, in the stands, hoping to hear our name get called. And then, he told me : '' Dont worry. Life will find a way to make you happy, just like I found you. ''

He was so confident. You could tell by the time he was a future champion. I was a bit shy, to tell the truth. But he made me feel so comfortable. He's an easy talker, he had well thought opinions on everything. Keep in my mind, we were just entering the Irak invasion fiasco, he was really informed about it. I was so enlighted. But one thing that made me doubt, is when I asked him about his future. He told me : I will make the NHL. I will play there. And I will become the first white player to play in this league.

I told him there was already plenty of white players in the league, which is still mostly played only by caucasian players. He didnt seemed to mind. And at this point, neither did I. It was just one of those perfect moment.

On the road back, I asked him to sign my plaster, which he did.

But he didnt only signed his name, after dropping me by.

He told me : ''For Kev. Just watch me, in a few years I will be known as the Penguin to play in the NHL. Kris''

I told him: there's a much better chance of that to happen, if you mean Penguin the team, and not the animal.

And then he winked, and told me ''Sometimes, Life finds a way''

And he drove away.

 

The Crypto Guy

Registered User
Jun 26, 2017
28,666
37,732
Alright, so, listen... I just gotta say… like… I’m so thankful to be a hockey fan, ya know? Even though, lemme tell ya, the New York Rangers are just… ugh… playing like absolute garbage right now. It’s like… WHAT ARE YOU DOIN’, GUYS? But still… still! I love ‘em. I love hockey. I love it ALL.

Being a hockey fan, it’s like… this big, beautiful family, okay? Like, it doesn’t matter if you’re in New York or Canada or friggin’ Mars, we all just GET IT. It’s late nights where you’re like, "Just one more period!" but then BAM—overtime. And mornings where you’re watching highlights with coffee and you’re like, "Why am I doing this to myself?" But also, like… it’s the best, right? RIGHT?

And the Rangers… oh man, the Rangers. They’ve put us through so much. Like… remember 1994? I wasn’t even ALIVE then… or maybe I was… who knows. But like, they DID THAT. And now it’s like, every time they screw up, I’m like, "Come ON!" but also… I still love ‘em. Like, hockey… it’s a test of loyalty, ya know? And patience. And like… what’s that other thing? Hope! That’s the one.

Right now, they’re… they’re not good. Like, at all. It’s BAD. Shesterkin’s out there doing his best, but like, the D? The D is just… where is it? Gone. And the offense? Slow as molasses. But it’s OKAY, because hockey is CHAOS and we love it! It’s the speed, the… the HITTING, the… oh, the GOALS. Even if we’re losing, it’s still the best sport. No contest.

And you know what? This team… this TEAM. They’ve given me so much, like… memories and stuff. Messier, that guy—a LEGEND. Lundqvist? UGH, KING. And now we’ve got these young kids coming up and… they’re good, okay? They’re gonna be GOOD. Maybe not now, but like… someday. I believe it. I BELIEVE IN THEM.

So yeah, the Rangers suck right now. It’s frustrating. I wanna yell, and I do yell, and my neighbors probably think I’m nuts, but that’s just… that’s hockey, man. It’s the best and the worst, but mostly the best. And like, when they FINALLY get their act together, it’s gonna feel so, so sweet. Like… sweeter than… I dunno, something REALLY SWEET.

Anyway, I’m just… I’m thankful. For the Rangers. For hockey. For… everything. It’s not about the wins, it’s about the love. And I’ve got SO MUCH LOVE for this stupid, beautiful game. LET’S GO RANGERS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!
 
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super6646

Registered User
Apr 16, 2018
18,371
16,592
Calgary
I will be making a Brady Skjei Christmas theme thread like I do every year today. Nashville, get your shit together so Brady lets off on the eggnog and rum okay?!
 

River Meadow

Registered User
Mar 29, 2016
7,223
9,695
Is it December 25 already in Germany?

BTW Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ,

I think you are confusing Thanksgiving and Christmas..
 

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