Trippisms

Here it is, Caniacs. The year’s best Trippisms.

3/30/2011 his quick release between the legs
3/26/2011 [somebody's] first move is to go down.
3/25/2011 Sooner or later that dam'll burst and they'll just keep on coming.
3/4/2011 You don't want to spend any more time in your own end than you have to.
2/16/2011 Guys just want to bear down for him.
1/13/2011 Just look at that soft area!
1/13/2011 Going to those dirty areas!
1/7/2011 What a release by Eric Staal!
1/1/11 Corvo would like to be underneath Travis Zajak.
12/16/2010 The hurricanes need to get deep
11/13/2010 He and Jeff Skinner go to work down low.
11/11/2010 Briere gets it up.
?/?/2010 The way the Canes were coming, it's surprising there was a lack of...
10/30/2010 Cam thought he was going to have to get vertical.
4/1/2010 Did you see how tight that gap was?
3/31/2010 When he goes down, he stays down for long periods.

A Love Supreme

Sometimes they call Carolina Hurricanes forward Erik Cole "the Cole Train." My other Cole sign is only useful in December, so I thought he deserved another. I trust that y'all know that John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" is considered one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. I'm not a huge jazz fan; I was just working the pun.

I asked my husband if he'd be ok with me essentially declaring in writing my love for another man in front of thousands of people. He said he was secure enough in our relationship that he thought it would be ok, considering that Erik is married, too. It probably helped that it was the last game of the season and the Canes needed all the support they could get to make it into the playoffs. Alas, there was apparently not enough mojo in my trusty Sharpie, and the Canes did not make the playoffs. With all that money I won't be spending on playoff tickets, at least I can buy a whole lot of new Sharpies and hope for better mojo next year. And I've got a long summer to think up new signs.

Nuts Against Bolts

Too bad the Canes choked against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 9, 2011, when this sign was unveiled - the last game of the season. :(

Number 53

I noticed that Jeff Skinner shares the same number as Herbie, which is only appropriate, since they are both unusually skilled in a way you might not expect, and since the Love Bug seems to have bitten every Prom Queen wannabe in Raleigh.

This sign is unusual in that I stepped outside my usual Sharpie medium and incorporated Crayola.

How Far They Come

I hate to perpetuate a stereotype about how crude and awful Barfalo fans are when they come to the RBC Center. I'm sure it's only a percentage of Barfalo fans who are like that, right? And the bad ones just make it rotten for everyone? But there I was, walking in to the arena across the parking lot, trying to explain to the newbie fan I was bringing to the game with me why this game was so important and why Barfalo is the most hated enemy of the Caniacs, when I finally ceased talking and just pointed to the nearest loudest Barfalo fan who was in the process of illustrating my point for me.

He was walking along with his girlfriend, obnoxiously loudly talking to no one in particular but everyone within earshot, about how the Canes were going to clean his balls this summer because their season was over. I've heard plenty of season-ending tee-time jabs and seen plenty of golf swing gestures; that's no big deal. But this guy was making obscene gestures related to cleaning his balls in front of dozens of strangers nearby, including children. Then he went on to say something about how it was no big deal, cleaning his balls, because his girlfriend does it for him all the time: "Don't you, baby?"

And the très couth girlfriend, also sporting a Sabres jersey, agreed. "Damn right, baby, all the time." And joined him in making the obscene gestures.

Stay classy, Slugs.

Tan Buffalo's Hide!

This sign had its debut April 3, 2011.