Tag: Chicago

And that’s D-Town for ya!!!!

backinphilly1 Comment

So Detroit did EXACTLY what I called. I predicted a Detroit Red Wings first round 7-game series win against a top seed. I was just about as close as possible.

I predicted that Detroit would take down the Blackhawks in the first round. That didn’t quite happen.

Instead, Detroit did one better and made it into the playoffs as the 7th seed, dealing with the Anaheim Ducks. They just took them down in 7 games.

I watched the last couple minutes of the game, and I was in awe as to how well-disciplined that Detroit team is.

I’m gonna dissect it all this week. I haven’t really researched all of the game tape yet. I only saw the last period.

One thing is for sure. Despite him not having a goal or an assist, there’s gonna be plenty of Pavel.

My new predictions-In round 2, I expect the Kings to deal with the Sharks after maybe 6 games. The Sharks get very tired very quickly. As for Detroit, after what they did against the Ducks, the sky is the limit for them. However, Chicago is a completely different story. I think Chicago will take that series. We will see.

Rainy Chicago.

eternity1030Leave a comment

During this Spring break I headed to Chicago for my very first time.

However, I didn’t expect it to be rainy all week. But thanks to the rain, I had such a precious chance to enjoy a different Chicago.

The most rainy day was the day I went to the Millennium Park for the “Big Bean” sculpture. Its actual name is “Cloud Gate,” a public sculpture by Indian-born British artist Anish Kapoor. Constructed between 2004 and 2006, the sculpture is nicknamed “The Bean” because of its bean-like shape. “Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams.”

It was inconvenient to visit under a rainy but when I got closer to the “Bean,” i realized that it could be a good opportunity for me to see the city in another way. The shiny silver bean became more vivid surrounded by the gloomy air, which made it more lonely somehow. The water drops slide down from the smoothy sphere as if it is crying.

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Why the Red Wings?-Let’s Discuss

backinphillyLeave a comment

So why do I think the Red Wings spell disaster for the Chicago Blackhawks (the Western Conference’s projected number 1 seed)?

The Detroit Red Wings are an incredibly storied franchise not only in the NHL but in all of sports. This season’s Red Wing team is equally as dangerous as in years past. This team is simply flawless. They are much younger than they have been in the past, being right in the middle of the league’s average roster age.

For those that are interested, the link for NHL ages is right here. Really just had to google it.

And for those interested, the NHL’s oldest roster is my New Jersey Devils. That might have something to do with the fact that our goalies are Martin Broduer (40) and Johan Hedberg (39).

Back to the Wings, though. Detroit has a few stars on their roster that while a little older, have superb conditioning. They are the most fundamentally sound team I’ve probably ever watched.

Let’s take roll call. We have the captain, Henrik Zetterberg, who has 8 goals but 27 assists. So whose scoring the goals?

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Let’s Talk a Little Hockey

backinphillyLeave a comment

As many know, the NHL season was cut in half this season due to problems with a collective bargaining agreement, or CBA. It’s funny how in the past 2-3 years, labor issues have been a serious problem in professional sports across the board. The NBA and NHL lost games while the NFL lost certain preseason workouts. All three were greatly affected. However, this 48 game season of hockey (a full season has 82 games) has been nothing short of exciting yet confusing.

I’m a big New Jersey Devils fan. They lost in the Stanley Cup finals last year to the Los Angeles Kings, but I wasn’t torn up about it. I was excited to even get to the finals and win the Eastern Conference. That was way more than I was expecting last season, but it elevated my expectations for this season.

We aren’t the best team in hockey. But, we play very well. At least we can say we are better off than Columbus.

Regardless, the playoffs are fast approaching as there are about 10 games left for most teams in the regular season.

The NHL is ranked on a point system. A team is given 2 standing points for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1 for a loss in overtime or a shootout. In each conference, there are 3 divisions. This is the last year we will see this, as next year the league is realigning into four conferences. Anyway, there are three divisions in each conference, and the division leader in each makes the playoffs as the first, second or third seed. In order to finish off the playoff bracket, the next 5 teams in point standings are added to the bunch. 8 teams from each conference go to the playoffs, making a total of 16 teams.

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The Second City

Daphne PsaledakisLeave a comment

Over the summer, my dad had a business trip in Chicago, and I had nowhere to stay. We decided that I would go along with him, and while he was working I would wander around Michigan Avenue by myself. He tried his hardest to make it fun, and he did an excellent job.

I went shopping, which is always productive, often more so than you can afford. I watched movies in the hotel room, and went to Wow Bao for lunch every day (it’s absolutely delicious for those of you who have never been).

At night, my dad and I would go dinner somewhere new, and then to a movie or back to the hotel to relax. One night though, he really wanted to go see a The Second City show. I resisted, but my dad was determined, as he often is. I had never been to a comedy act, and I didn’t really know what to expect. I honestly thought the show would be filled with cheesy humor that wasn’t especially funny.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The Second City turned out to be one of the world’s leading comedy acts, and experts at improvisation. Their website advertises 50 years of funny, which is an accurate statement. I could hardly stop laughing the entire show, even during the political acts which I knew nothing about. The show was hilarious, and the humor was priceless.

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