Exams Are Killing Me

I'm not going to lie, readers, when I tell you that this school stuff is taking over my life. Next week, I'm faced with five exams on five days, and that means I'll be studying my rear end off. If my nose is stuck in a book or if I'm flipping through course notes, guess what I'm not doing? That's right: I'm not blogging. As a responsible blogger (at least I think I am), this doesn't sit right with me. I want to be able to spend some quality time with hockey, but I can't because I'm having an affair with books and information. Something, I feel, has got to give.

That's where you can shine, readers. For today, I am opening the doors to HBIC for anyone who wants to drive whenever they get the urge. Officially, I am accepting all articles written about hockey by you! If you have the urge to write something, get something off your chest, or simply post a few picture about hockey, the canvas is waiting for your paint, readers.

If you have an article you'd like to send through, please attach to an email and send it through to me. Full credit will, of course, be given to you, and I'll even chime in on your work. Normally, I'm a pretty supportive guy being that I'm a man by the people, for the people, and of the people, but it will all depend on what you submit. I may take issue, but I will certainly thank you for your work and give you all the credit you deserve.

If you're a college student who is working on some sports-related article, I'd be happy to send something to your professor or instructor stating that you've contributed an article that has been published. I'm not sure how much weight that will carry for you, but if they ask if you have any published works, you can say yes.

If you have something to submit, get it sent in! Otherwise, here are a few things I've found around the Interwebs that could use a little exposure. Some of these come from the Life magazine gallery found on Google. I'll note those where necessary.

• Love the images of the old rinks, especially when they have the chicken wire instead of glass. I'm not sure what that fellow is fixing, but he appears to have posed for this picture. If my eyes aren't deceiving me, it looks as though there is a game being played while he's working on the rink! This is a great shot from Life.
• Speaking of those old rinks, check out how close the fans are in Madison Square Garden to the visiting Canadiens. And they barely have a separator there! I guess life back in the 1950s and 1960s really was a different time. Life brings history into reality once again.
• Rarely do we get access to places like the team bus or train, but Life snapped this photo of Blackhawks star Bobby Hull and a teammate who appears to be Pierre Pilote sitting aboard the team train! While it's tough to say which newspaper Hull is reading, Pilote clearly is readying himself for the fairways with his edition of Golf magazine. I love this photo as it really shows a side of the players we don't get to see away from the rink!
• A lot of people I know weren't really fans of the Bruins' yellow alternate jerseys, but I hate to see how many people would really hate the Bruins if they went all yellow. If we go back to 1958-59, though, the Bruins did actually wear mostly yellow as seen here on Fern Flaman! The thing about how the Bruins looked in '58-59 is that there is just enough black to break up the yellow and white. I actually don't mind this look, but I don't know if I'd be happy with it forever. The Bruins just look better in black with yellow highlights.
• We all know how the Rangers have that very unique shadowing on their numbers, and they seem to be pretty consistent when it comes to using that shadow. My question to you, readers, is this: when did they start using it on their sleeve numbers? The reason I ask is that it appears they were shadowing the back numbers in 1963, but they did not do the same on the sleeve numbers as this picture shows. From what I can find, the earliest that they made the numbers on the sleeves similar to those on the back is 1978. Does anyone know if this is the earliest their numbers had similar shadowing?
• Just because I can: Wayne Gretzky in the Burger King jersey. Nothing like a little BK on a Friday night, right? No, I'm not selling out to Burger King either.
• I always like the old photos of international games, so this USSR-USA picture from the 1968 Winter Olympics ranks high. I love the lettering on the front of the USA jersey! The USSR squad has a very understated look for such a dominant team.

That's all for a Friday. I need to get myself ready for five exams next week. I'm pretty sure that my brain going to be mush by the end of next week. However, there is no crying or whining allowed here, so I must do what I have to do!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!