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From all of us at St. Louis Game Time, we hope you have a wonderful and joyous Christmas...unless you don't celebrate it, in which case enjoy your Thursday off of work (probably).
Personally, the only thing I'm hoping for this year is a reliable lap top. In 2014, a computer that can't get on the internet is nothing but a doorstop.
Any who, enjoy a few links before getting back to your loved ones!
BLUES NEWS:
- Still don't know what to give to that special Blues fan in your life? Well you're probably shit out of luck now...but just in case, here's a couple suggestions from our lord and savior Brad Lee. [SLGT]
- Is Ian Cole a canary case for if the Blues have tuned out Ken Hitchcock? Mayhaps... [SLGT]
- You folks must have been extra good this year, because you got a fancy brand new episode of Beyond Checkerdome in you stocking! [SLGT]
- Tuesday was Festivus, thus David at FN took his chance to air his grievances...he's got a lot of problems with you people, and now you're gonna hear about 'em! (And that was before losing 5-0 in Colorado.) [Frozen Notes]
- With Vladimir Tarasenko being a restricted free agent this coming summer who can receive offer sheets, the Blues are almost certainly going to have to loose some salary to reach a deal. Who'll end up as the odd man out? [STLToday]
- Finally, a heart warming story about how Kelly and David Backes first started giving so much care and safety to animals. A jolly sticktap to CrossCheckRaise for this one! [The 9s]
NHL NEWS:
- There wasn't any hockey last night, and there isn't tonight.
- There was however news that John Scott, "captain" of the San Jose Sharks, will be suspended 4 games for doing exactly what he gets paid to do. [Fear the Fin]
- Some people have some really cool hockey-themed holiday decorations, so Wysh & Co published the coolest. Personally, I've got a couple Blues player bobble head ornaments that my cat Oshie likes to knock off the tree. [Puck Daddy]
- P.K. Subban is the greatest! [Vimeo]
- And let's not forget our Chosen Game Timers (...do we have any? Don't be shy!). Last night at sundown was the end of Chanukah (You have to "hchkuh" when you say it!), so to celebrate Josh Cooper put together the All-Hanukkah All-Star Team, out all the best Jewish players...plus a couple of Blues forwards who might be gentiles but are still mensches. Don't know how many hockey games they'd win, but they'll always shin in driedel! [Puck Daddy]
WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS NEWS:
- It's definitely The Most Wonderful Time of the Year...because tomorrow is the start of the IIHF Under-20 World Championships, aka, the World Juniors! This year the tournament is split between Toronto and Montreal, returning to Canada for the first time since John Carlson slew the evil giant in 2010. The group stage starts at 2:00 central with the Future Gold Medalists USA beginning with a tough test in the defending Gold Medalists from Finland. Most every game of the tournament will be aired on NHL Network, with every USA game also being streamed for free at NHL.com. Take a look at the complete broadcast schedule and plan the next two weeks of your life accordingly. [NHL.com Schedule]
- The USA roster is down to its last cut - will BC defenseman/Devils prospect Steven Santini be ready in time? [CBS Eye on Hockey]
- One of the biggest reasons to watch this year is to see what the clear frontrunners for the top two picks in the 2015 draft do for their respective countries: Connor McDavid and All-American Patriot Jack Eichel. Eichel has been named the captain of this year's team - the first 18-year old to captain the Americans at the WJCs since Bryan Berard in 1996. [SBN College Hockey]
- As co-hosts for the proceedings, Habs Eyes on the Prize have been providing some fantastic coverage leading up to the World Juniors. Check out their previews for every team, but first, watch a bunch of Quebecois deal with the fact that the US is clearly superior in every way to their puny Canadian team to overhyped excuse makers who haven't won gold in 5 years. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]
- For more previews of the United States squad, check out Chris Peters, former editor at United States of Hockey, preview the team on the College Puckcast (this is admittedly a couple days old, before the last few cuts were made, but still great stuff)!. [College PuckCast]
OTHER THINGS:
- What, exactly, is the real meaning of Christmas? Well, it can trace it's roots back long before Santa, before even birth of Jesus, and yes even before all that pagan bullshit that bah-humbug secularists like to yell at you about. No, the true meaning of Christmas is the same now as it has been literally all of human existence. [Cracked]
- Name one universally popular Christmas song written in the last 50 years. Times up: did you say "All I Want for Christmas is You" by Mariah Carey? Congratulations, that's the only correct answer! And here's why it's so Christmas-y - if you've ever taken music theory, get ready to brush up on your harmonic analysis! [Slate]
- Speaking of Christmas songs, when do you think "Do You Hear What I Hear?" was first written? 1400s? 1600s? Actually, it was written in 1962. And it's about the Cuban Missile Crisis. Seriously. [American Catholic]
VIDEO:
One of the best things about the holidays are the great Christmas stories...such as A Christmas Story. Just remember as you watch it at some point today, that it's actually not endearing and nostaglic at all, as much as it's bitter and super fucking depressing. Allow the After Hours crew to explain...
His show might be over, but Stephen Colbert's Christmas special will live on forever, in part because of this bonus number.
Internet Gods willing, I will have your links tomorrow as well. Send me anything about how Canada Sucks and I will post the shit out of it!
- jasonmcadams1120 AT gmail DOT com
- @JMill1120
Once again, a very Merry Christmas to everyone who reads us here at St. Louis Game Time, in the Game Time paper, or on Twitter. Without you guys, we'd just be a bunch of alcoholic assholes making dick jokes, arguing over T.J. Oshie, and shouting profanities into thin air - and I'm not ready to become my father yet.