Old church

Old church, Santa Fe, a photo by JulieAndSteve on Flickr.

When not causing mayhem on the ice, I get off taking iPhone pics of old churches in New Mexico.

--S.H.

Radishes

Radishes, a photo by JulieAndSteve on Flickr.

When not playing the exciting sport of ice hockey, I like taking photos of colorful vegetables. This was at the Santa Fe Farmers Market.

--S.H.

Bike & Shadow

Bike & Shadow, a photo by JulieAndSteve on Flickr.

Screwing around with my iPhone while pedaling home. Hoping to find my team's new socks arrived in mail when I get there.

--S.H.

Look, it's a hockey league rulebook!

This kind of cracked me up: an official rule book posted on the internet for adult hockey leagues at the Toyota Sports Center in El Segundo.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's great the league has a rulebook. That makes sense. There should at least be rules trying to thwart cheap shots and the use of ringers. (I have no idea how much they're enforced or not).

If there's a rulebook for the Pasadena house league, I've yet to see it. I'm guessing it probably doesn't exist, considering the Pasadena rink has a scoreboard that rarely functions (penalties are three minutes or thereabouts or anyone's guess), a first aid room that resembles the inside of a germ incubator and a generally all-around crappy condition.

And in our house leagues -- there's two divisions, "intermediate" and "upper" -- there are certainly no rules on the books about ringers. At this time, pretty much anyone can play at whichever level they choose. Meaning my "intermediate" division team regularly encounters players than could be playing in the upper division but choose to play lower for whatever reason. I suppose if I was any good, it would be fun to skate around chaps like me and score at will.

After stick time last night, I stuck around to watch one of our house games that pitted a team that has gone 16-1 since joining the league against an out-manned team that brought in its own ringers to compete. When I left -- midway through the game -- the 16-1 team was up by six goals and a couple of players were rolling around on the ice trying to settle their differences. Or perhaps mate.

Rules? Ha!

--S.H.

Hockey pic of the day

Victoria Salmon Kings-Utah Grizzlies 8, a photo by liquid tension on Flickr.

Playing near the crease deserves hazard pay, eh? The pic is from a Victoria Salmon Kings-Utah Grizzlies game.

--S.H.--

A little presumptuous are we, Canucks fans?

 

A friend of mine was in Vancouver over the Memorial Day weekend -- before the Stanley Cup Finals began -- and snapped this photo of locals driving around the city with a mock-up of the cup. 

The Cup, I might add, the local team has not yet won. And I kind of get the feeling that after watching last night's spankdown of the Canucks by Boston, the momentum may have turned in the series to the Bruins. At the very least, it's pretty much impossible to root for the goon squad that is Vancouver after watching the savage hit by Aaron Rome on Bruins' defenseman Nathan Horton. 

The NHL -- reacting to the bad p.r. the hit rightly inspired and perhaps out of a desire to protect its players -- suspended Rome for four games, meaning he's justifiably gone for the rest of the series. The Bruins announced that Horton is out for the rest of the series with a severe concussion, meaning he's denied what could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance to play for the Cup. 

Not to mention that severe concussions usually cost players who receive them many more than four games. Just ask Sidney Crosby. 

As for the NHL, its tolerance and encouragement of extracurricular violence has once again landed the world's premiere ice hockey league in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Why the team owners put up with a league run this way is beyond me. 

--S.H.

Horse in Round Valley, California

Horse in Round Valley, California, a photo by JulieAndSteve on Flickr.

When not playing the manly sport of ice hockey, I like to take photos of pretty horses.

--S.H.