Pavel Datsyuk Birthday Extravaganza!

In case you didn't know, today is Pavel Datsyuk's 32nd birthday. The man with the crazy dekeing abilities is another year older, another year wiser, and another year...well, awesome. He may have only won the Selke this year, but that Lady Byng will be on his mantle next year [if he didn't already dangle it away from St. Louis].

In honor of the Russian's birthday, I'll post some highlights of his for your enjoyment. Though I will forewarn you: if you have yet to watch hockey highlights this off-season and have a hard time dealing with no hockey, proceed with caution. Withdrawals may hit you suddenly.

Firstly, his dangling abilities. We all remember the hilarity of this one. Oh, those crazy Sharks. No wonder they're such chokers in the playoffs. [just kidding. but not really.]



Let's stay on the west coast for a second. Enjoy Datsyuk's ingenuity [in a playoff game, mind you] followed by Mickey Redmond having an audible heart attack.



This one is memorable. And jaw-dropping. I'm still sitting here, watching it for the umpteenth time, going, "How does he do that?!" Magic, people. Magic.



We all remember this one. I was in Washington DC, the Caps/Flyers game had just ended, and my friends and I were watching this unfold. When Datsyuk slowed way down at the end, I was thinking, "He's going to do that move the kid in Sweden did." Sure enough, he did.



Plus, Datsyuk is just adorable and hilarious. What does he do when his phone goes off during an interview? That's right - he starts dancing.



And lastly, that ever-famous slip-of-the-tongue by Andy Brickley on Versus.



There is no cure for Dangleitis, people, as you may or may not know. Datsyuk will be stuck with it for years to come. Despite his affliction, I'm sure his birthday today will be as amazing as ever. Happy birthday, Pavel. I can't wait to see your dangerous self back in action on the ice.

They Say It's Your Birthday

Time for some humor to lighten the day!

After sleeping on last night's loss and knowing that nothing can change what happened, I'm looking into the future toward Game Four. And also trying to enjoy my birthday. While last year's was ruined at the last minute by the non-goal on Hossa, this one was ruined from the start and I was expecting to be absolutely terrible. So far, however, it's been okay.

So let me show you a little tradition in my household. It's not entirely hockey-related, but it kind of is. Just bear with me for a second.

In my house, the siblings make birthday signs for each other and they're normally pretty humorous. This year, what with one brother of mine having moved out and the other super busy with school, I wasn't expecting any. But they proved me wrong.

This was hanging in my bathroom. In case you didn't know, Valtteri Filppula is my favorite Red Wings player, along with Ozzie. But unlike Ozzie, I've met Val twice and both times were damn fantastic.


Now for the humor. This one was hanging in the kitchen.


Explanation: There's a joke in my household that Tyler Kennedy from the Pittsburgh Penguins is a living basilisk. Or if you don't feel like clicking on the explanation, he causes people to die with just one look because of how ugly he is. I mean, look at him. You can't honestly look at that picture and tell me he's a handsome hockey player. It's just not possible.

With those two signs [among others, like one from Greg Monforton, whose commercials are always on the Windsor feed of the CBC], I'm pretty sure my birthday will be pretty good. And there's playoff hockey on tonight. Nothing can cheer me up like hockey, that is one thing that will never change.