Photo Updates

I know you're probably getting sick of me posting photos, but there are more that need to be discussed from the last few weeks. As much as writing enjoys me, I certainly do like posting images every once in a while in order to be able to clean out the various folders holding hockey pictures. I have a flash drive that needs to be cleaned out as well, so I'm literally putting everything I have up on HBIC today. Of course, the term "everything" doesn't really mean everything, but if it hasn't been uploaded and it's on my desktop, you're getting a glimpse of it today. Here are more photos that HBIC has been holding on to for a rainy, or snowy, day.

Remember when the Tampa Bay Lightning decided to switch up their uniforms to something a little more traditional and classic? Perhaps they forgot that their alternate uniforms were also scrapped. We got to see the "Bolts" live for one more day on December 31, 2011 when the Lightning played the Carolina Hurricanes on New Year's Eve. How did the "Bolts" jersey find its way back onto the ice? Someone missed a memo, methinks.

It was really nice to see the alumni of the Rangers and Flyers get together before the NHL Winter Classic was played, but it was even more special to see the men in orange wearing a small "10" on their uniforms. This was worn in honour of the late Brad McCrimmon who passed away in the Yaroslavl Lokomotiv plane crash. Of course, there was also a "10" playing in the game, so it made looking at John LeClair's uniform a little odd as it seemed he was memorializing himself. Classy move by the Flyers, though, to honour McCrimmon as the defenceman was one of the best Flyers during his era there.

Speaking of honouring defencemen, the New Jersey Devils honoured Scott Niedermayer's career as a Devil by retiring his number and raising the banner to the roof of the Prudential Center back on December 17, 2011. If you look closely, the font on the back of Niedermayer's jersey doesn't match the banner's font. That's not supposed to happen. And to cap off the evening, the Devils wore a patch with Niedermayer's #27 on it. The issue I have is that the patch would be more suitable for the passing of a legend, not the retirement of one. The Devils played this one a little morbidly if you ask me.

The 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic was played a couple of nights ago, and the game featured the Adirondack Phantoms against the Hershey Bears. The Phantoms used to play in Philadelphia, but moved once the Spectrum was closed and demolished. The Phantoms wore these uniforms in the game while the Bears took to the ice in this uniform design. Honestly, I had reservations about the Phantoms' look, but I have to admit that I like how their uniforms turned out once seeing them. The orange numbering could have been a problem, but it looked fine on the ice. As for the Bears, they wore a logo in honour of the event on their uniforms. The names and numbers were easily readable as well. The 2012 AHL Outdoor Classic was a great event, and the uniforms worn by the Phantoms and Bears looked fantastic! Well done, AHL!

So I've been working on a few of those merit badges for the site, and I came up with a couple of badges that I think are pretty sweet thanks to the power of the interwebs. While you're probably aware of Teebz's Seal of Approval for books that are reviewed on HBIC, here are the two badges that I'll start using going forward: the Badge of Shame and the Cowbell Merit Badge.

The Badge of Shame will officially be awarded to players, media, executives, hockey parents, bloggers - basically, anyone who deserves a heap of shame for doing stupid things. No one is off-limits when it comes to the Badge of Shame, so keep an eye on who HBIC names on this list. This one could be entertaining.

On the other hand, the Cowbell Merit Badge is a prestigious award that HBIC will hand out to anyone who does something unsung and receives little to no credit. If a defenceman covers for his goaltender and makes a big save on with his goaltender out of the picture, that's a possible Cowbell Merit Badge winner. If a player breaks up a 2-on-1 and his team goes the other way and scores, that's a possible Cowbell Merit Badge winner. In short, the Cowbell Merit Badge will be awarded to anyone who does something awesome with little to no glory being bestowed upon him or her for the effort. HBIC truly believes that the little things done correctly are what wins and loses hockey games. Effort is, in no small part, a huge piece of that equation.

That's all I have for today. I'll have another guest post later this week, and HBIC has finished another book. I'm well on my way to 50 books, and I'm starting a new book this week! My hockey schedule is also heating up, so I'll be playing at least six games later this week. Here's hoping my legs can hold up!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!