Turning 600

This isn't some sort of special announcement or anything, but I thought it warranted some discussion amongst myself. That picture to the right is a T-600 from the Terminator movies that once starred California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. This entry is #600 in the HBIC archives. Like the T-600, this blog is a machine. It doesn't slow down (unless there's a power outage), and it doesn't take a day off (although it runs sluggishly sometimes). What is important, though, are you guys who read my rants and diatribes. Without you and your comments and emails, I would have stopped doing this a long time ago. Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate it. Today, I'm going to spend a few minutes updating everyone on what is going on around the blogosphere.

• Minnesota Wild blogger Elise over at 18,568 Reasons Why... will undoubtedly be writing for a Minneapolis-St. Paul newspaper soon. Not only is her blog highly informative and entertaining, but she is now officially recognized by the Minnesota High School Press Association as one of the best sportswriters of her generation. Miss Butler deserves some credit for her excellent work, so check out both her blog and her award-winning writing!
• Schultz from Barry Melrose Rocks, having some time to lick his wounds after his opening round Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey Spill-Over League loss, explains the virtues and quirks that come along with a Bloguin Penguin. I'm thinking someone needs to name their Penguin "Francis". You know, in honour of this guy.
• With the Colorado Avalanche playing the most uninspired hockey I've seen since their lowly days as the Nordiques, Jibblescribbits is waving the white flag. Literally. And yet they still have too many points to qualify for the Tavares-Hedman sweepstakes.
• I want to give a shout-out to Distinct Kicking Motion. They emailed me the other day, and wanted to make it on to HBIC. So I said, "I'll do you one better - I'll link you up". Hit them up for some solid hockey chatter.
• I have been in contact with one of the two ladies running Roaming Penguins. Stephanie is creating these little knitted Penguins and selling them for charity. The money she is raising is going to the Mario Lemieux Foundation minus the costs of buying more Penguin supplies. Help her raise some money for a great foundation by buying a Penguin, and then send her your pictures of your Roaming Penguin! Just so you know, I ordered a #66 and a #10 Penguin. Old-school Penguins are still cool.
• I also want to shout-out to Blitz Corner. They asked if they could be linked, so I'm giving them some lip service. They have a huge collection of information on all sports, so I suggest checking them out. Guaranteed to keep you busy for a while.
• Marc-Andre Fleury of the Penguins shutout the Flames the other night by a 2-0 score. What made this shutout special is that it happened on March 25, 2009. March 25, 2008 saw him shutout the New Jersey Devils by a 2-0 score. March 25, 2007 saw Fleury shutout the Boston Bruins by a 5-0 score. I'm thinking Pittsburgh may ask for a March 25 game next season as well.
• Philadelphia Flyers forward Scott Hartnell was honoured with Scotty Hartnell Wig Night in Philly as they battled the Florida Panthers tonight. "I know there's 20 guys in here that are jealous of my hair, so I think maybe in warmups a couple guys will be wearing them to be just like me," joked Hartnell to Flyers' media man, Kevin Kurz. "They may get a little better looking while they are out there skating around with it." Hartnell scored tonight, but couldn't prevent the Panthers from securing a 4-2 victory. Why am I focusing on Hartnell's hair so much? He hasn't cut it in 19 months!
• Steve Mason must be licking his chops while looking at the standings. Mason recorded his 10th shutout of the season against the Calgary Flames tonight, and looked very impressive in doing so. Again, the man is my hands-down Calder Trophy winner, and he would even have some consideration for both the Vezina and Hart Trophies if I had a vote.

Ok, that's all for tonight. I have some additional work to do, so I'm out for now. Check out those blogs up there, and, if you have the means, order one of those Penguins and help out a great charity. Mine should be here for the playoffs, and the waiting list is only going to get longer, so you know what you have to do.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!