The New Dog

This post is not hockey related, but it is Mom related. We got a new dog.
Last week we had some friends over for dinner, they brought with them their dog. It was this tiny fluffy little thing and I had to admit it was pretty cute. Ryan had been badgering me for, I don't even know how long, to get a dog. My stance was we live in the middle of the city on the seventh floor of a large building, it would not be fair to have a dog here that couldn't run around whenever it wanted. Well as I watched the four pound dog chase my two year old, I realized that to a dog that size our living room was like a football field, and it seemed pretty small so it wouldn't knock Avery over.
So I changed my position from no dog to very small dog. We totally could have gone out and brought home a cute little puppy from a farm or a pet store, but I have always had rescued dogs, and I liked the idea of that. To the pound we went, and our search proved fruitless. They had few dogs and the ones that were in our size range were not good for children. So option two, kijiji. The first animal that came up had been posted just three hours before and was a Puggle (half Pug half Beagle). I send the poster a quick note about being interested and asked if we could meet her. I always use Ryan's email address on this sort of stuff because he deals with it then, its kind of like passing the torch.
Later that evening he shows me a series of emails between the dog owner and himself, explaining the dog had bad allergies, and was on a raw meat diet. That's not a big deal, I have had a very allergic dog as a teenager and knew enough to be comfortable with it, but the vibe I got from the owner was like she didn't want to give the dog up. She didn't even want to set up a date to see her. So we put it out of our minds and a week goes by. Ryan comes up to me one night and said he landed a meet and greet with the dog and owner, and I agreed to it.
We go and meet, the owner nice, overprotective of the dog, but nice. She says she has to go out west for school and the dog can't come, long story short we become the owners of Marley the puggle. Now comes for the homecoming. The dog came with tons of stuff, collars, leashes, crate, beds, lights, little baggies, even jackets!
Marley is great, Avery can pull her tail and be a bit rough with her, and she is a great sport. She is also the mascot of Ryans hockey team. She is also trained to ring a bell when she needs to go outside.
Or so I though she was. I hear a ring the first thing once we wake up. I chase my two year old around and get him to wear his hat, jacket and boots, I suit up as well, and apparently Marley doesn't like wearing a collar ao I have to chase her around too. Finally when everyone is ready to go, we head down seven flights of stairs (There is an elevator) but there are a lot of seniors and it can be a long wait). She sniffs here she sniffs there but doesn't go anywhere. After 15 mins, nothing we we go back in. Right as I was putting the last coat back on the hanger in the closet and lining the boots back up, I hear the sound of bells. Sure enough she is looking at me, tail wagging, ready to go back out. I'll spare you the repetitiveness, this goes on about 15 times from 8-5 until Ryan gets home and I assign that duty to him. I thought it was a fluke, she is in a new place with new people, things are a bit wonky for sure! Well this was day five and nothing has changed, except that I have a sick toddler with an ever running nose and need to be attached to me at all times. In short well have to see how this goes.
On top of it all after a year and a half long process we will be finding out if I can continue to reside in Canada, as my permanent residence application is done being processed and I must go in for an interview and "the news". And Ryan started a new job this week, and things are still wonky in scheduling here and there.

Lets hope this month Marley can be more decisive, Canada will dig an Arizona girl, and we work out timing with the new job. She is awful cute though. We'll probably keep her around, but if she keeps dragging me up and down seven flights of stairs, toddler in tow, were going to have to have a Cesar Milan intervention.

My take on the man in the Crazy suits

If you live in Canada you know who I am talking about. For everyone else, I am referring to Don Cherry. He co-hosts coaches corner, which airs during Hockey Night in Canada. He also does some stuff for ESPN toward the end of the playoffs. He played for "a cup of coffee" in the NHL with the Bruins, or one game. He later went on to coach them during the Orr days.
The reason I have decided to discuss him is because if you love him you love him and if you hate him you hate him. No one rides the fence on him. So as a 20 something female, where do you think I stand?
If you guess love him then you are correct. Many of you may not have come to that conclusion, and the reason being, this guy defines controversy, and that's kinda why I like him.
People have said his views are old fashioned and rude. I disagree. He got in major trouble for his views on why a woman got hit with a puck at a hockey game. I am paraphrasing here but he said she wouldn't have gotten hit if she hadn't have been flapping her jaw. Its true! C'mon we all go to hockey games and know a puck leaves the ice at least once. It shouldn't be a shock that a person can get hit by a puck. I'm not saying I don't do my fair share of talking at games, but in the back of my mind I am always aware that there is a possibility a puck could come flying up at any given time. If I were to get hit, I would know it was my fault for not being on point. Just saying.
He made huge waves in the media by criticizing Habs fans for booing the American anthem. He said CBC and the Canadian government should have stood behind him. Hey, I was born American, so you know where I stand there. Even if I weren't, I think booing another Country's Anthem is the same at spiting on someone, you don't do it. Politically I may not agree with the decisions on a Country's government  but that has no bearing on deserving the same respects, especially in the name of good sportsmanship.
I could continue to name off remarks that have put him in the hot seat, but that's one of the best qualities about him. CBC realized this and put a 7 second delay during Coach's Corner, but after all this time he still has a job. Grapes has been around for quite some time, and I wouldn't expect to see it change, which is fine with me. Both of our paternal grandfather served our Countries, both our fathers played Amateur sports, both have Irish in us, and both carry a deep respect for those who serve their Countries and have deep rooted patriotism in that sense.
As far as Cherry goes, he's good in my books! I hope he never retires, HNIC will never be the same the day that happens. But for now, I look forward to his off the wall remarks which are as unpredictable as the material for his next suit.

The Coyotes forever in my Heart

I have felt very strongly on the subject since I heard that were considering  moving the Coyotes. I realize that this is old news, but this is my first blog and I still feel strongly on the subject.
I couldn't believe something like that was even up for discussion! Although now living in Southern Ontario and a Habs fan, my heart will always have a place in it for the Phoenix Coyotes. I was born in Arizona, and there were no Coyotes when I was young. I didn't even hear of the concept of hockey until I was about seven years old watching Casey Jones in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Probably because the closest team was the L.A. Kings. Who in my eyes didn't grow popular until Gretzky played, and even afterward had a lot of growing to do, and is still nowhere near Canada or New England. I would have loved a shot of getting out there and playing the intense, physical, demanding game I have come to love. There were NO programs for hockey in the town I lived in. None, In fact the closest place to skate was an hour and a half away.
My point is having the Coyotes there is introducing hockey to children who would never had the opportunity to gain interest. Who knows what kind of talent we will see come out of there now, due to the growing popularity of the sport. However, growing it is. To even have considered taking the team away from there is cutting interest and support in that part of the USA off or to be generous to a mere trickle. I realize there are major politics associated with NHL organizations but essentially the NHL has to do what is best for the sport of hockey. It is the Professional level after all. The best thing for hockey is for everyone to have a shot to play if they want. To continue to grow in new populations. Eventually allowing these thing to take place will provide the NHL with a higher grade of talent and a more competitive game. In addition to that the growing fan base will also buy merchandise and fill up the arena, thus generating more money for the Organization and the NHL.
Under Tippet's reins, the Coyotes had a fabulous season. They truly were the underdog of the Playoffs last year. They have proven, as have their supporters, that they deserve a spot in the NHL and are truly a force to be reckoned with
I lived in North Carolina about 30 mins away from Raleigh, when the Canes won Lord Stanley's cup. In the short time until I left in 2008, fan base grew huge. There were more and more places popping up for kids to participate in hockey and learn it. I was fascinated at the growth. 
To take that away from Arizona would have been a crime. To take that away from any developing area, as far as hockey goes, is a crime. The folks in Winnipeg will have to wait. Its not like they don't have frozen ponds and shinny rinks all over.