I made a thing

[cmk418]

So in two weeks, I'll be heading to the NHL Draft in Dallas. I went last year in Chicago and had a great time and I'd be doing a party at home if the site wasn't in driving distance. We normally do various games and such- draft trivia (which takes place on the car ride), bingo (and if you're going to watch, let me know and I'll make you a card) and, last year, we did a jersey-spotting game (since fans from all the different teams will be there, looking for 31 different jerseys as we walked through the concourse helped get us some exercise and kill some time). This year, since I hope to be near the draft floor again at some point, I put together a bit of a facial recognition quiz involving icons of GMs, coaches, and reps from various teams and laid them out against the backdrop from last year's draft (my sister took that pic). I'm not a graphics queen (obviously) so this might come off as a bit of a hot mess, but I'm actually pretty happy with it.

So here it is, I'm putting it behind a cut because it's kinda big. If you feel like playing or showing off, you can put the names of the guys you recognize in the comments.

Comments

[vanillalime]

This is NOT a bit of a hot mess--this is awesome! I especially love that you used your sister's pic as the backdrop. I think graphics always mean a lot more when you can use your own stuff and not just stock photos.

My husband is a big hockey fan, the Maples Leafs specifically. (He's Canadian born and bred, so it's practically required by law. :D) His best friend from college has a son who has been playing off and on for the Senators for the last year or so. He keeps getting called up from the AHL(?) when there's an injury, then sent back down. But he just signed a two-year contract with them, so it looks promising that his place on their roster will become more permanent. Anyway, I've become a Senators fan because of him. And of course, I always cheer for the Red Wings to do well. (Football is actually my sport--for watching, not playing. LOL)

I hope you have a great time in Dallas! It sounds like a super-cool thing to do.

[cmk418]

Thank you! It's sort of funny that the two teams you're following, Ottawa & Detroit, aren't represented here. Toronto has a couple- they are my sister's second favorite team. We're required to be Blues fans primarily, but considering the pain and suffering they put us through each year, it's good to have a backup or five. That's pretty cool about your friend's son. What's his name? I'll start tracking his comings and goings on Facebook.

What kind of football? American football or soccer? I don't think I've paid attention to a game other than the Super Bowl since the Rams left town.

Never been to Dallas other than the airport before, but the draft is fun. I'm looking forward to seeing a new arena too.

[vanillalime]

HIs name's Ben Harpur. He's nicknamed Big Ben because he's so tall (6 foot 6, same as his dad).

https://www.nhl.com/player/ben-harpur-8477433

Definitely American football! (I know nothing about soccer.) I follow both college (the University of Michigan--my alma mater) and the NFL (the Detroit Lions). Although, like with you and the Blues, I figured out long ago that I needed a back-up NFL team to cheer for. When Tom Brady (a Michigan man) became QB for the Patriots, I decided to follow them, and it turned out to be one of the best/luckiest decisions of my life. :D

You know how much I love Oz and Lee? I actually love football about 10 times more. I just never talk about it here, because I know no one else cares. Believe it or not, the greatest moment of my fangirl life wasn't meeting Lee, but meeting Michigan's legendary coach Bo Schembechler at a book signing and getting his autograph. (On second thought, though, I didn't get a kiss from Bo, so maybe the two moments are really about equal. ;D)

[cmk418]

Tom Brady?? Not my cup of tea at all. But probably because I'm still ticked that the Pats beat the Rams at some point in time so I should get over it. I do like the Lions though.

Your feelings on football are like mine on hockey. Occasionally it comes out here, but only because I'm so involved in it. I have an entire FB page solely for hockey because even my friends get sick of hearing me talk about it.

[vanillalime]

Tom Brady?? Not my cup of tea at all. But probably because I'm still ticked that the Pats beat the Rams at some point in time so I should get over it. I do like the Lions though.

HA! I totally get it. (The Pats beat the Rams in the 2002 Super Bowl, Brady's first Super Bowl.) I harbor an irrational a totally rational grudge against Peyton Manning because of something that happened way back when he was playing for the University of Tennessee.

No one ever harbors a grudge against the Lions, though, because they've never given anyone reason to. :((

[trillingstar]

NONE :(

I like your graphic and agree with vanillalime that it is NOT a hot mess. Now if you'd used neon green squiggly text...

I'm an Ottawa Sens "fan" because apparently you must have a favourite team if you live in Canada (or are in any way Canada-adjacent). I picked the Senators because I liked the goalie's helmet the best. Very scientific.

Soccer, OTOH -- English Premier League, the Bundesliga, even MLS -- I'm here for that! I'm glad that you have FB for your hockey outlet though, and that you had a fab time in Dallas. <3

[cmk418]

Oh darn. I didn't realize that neon green squiggly text was an option. Missed opportunity for sure.

I'm trying very hard not to associate the words "hot mess" with "Ottawa Senators", so I'll just say that you'll have a long season ahead and that I'm glad you're not a Leafs fan.

I enjoyed playing soccer, but watching it is an entirely different story. I think it's because I don't get the whole additional time thing that happens at the end of the game. And 15 shots on a good night makes me sad. I might be tempted to watch women's soccer though and this year's World Cup was pretty interesting just to see the major teams getting knocked off.

[trillingstar]

Being a hockey "fan" for me is more like catching the occasional snippet of sports news, hearing that the Senators did well, and I'm happy for them for a brief second!

...that's it. So go ahead with your hot mess from Ottawa, it's all good ;)

Yeah, on one hand it's like, just blow the whistle for time stoppage. But then it would be like American football har har. It's funny what appeals to different people about different sports; my mom and dad are glued to the TV for the AFL, CFL, NFL. The *thought* of watching so much football makes me whimper.

I root for Germany during World Cups and this year they took me on a rollercoaster all right. le sigh

[cmk418]

By the way, the Blues acquired a guy named Ryan O'Reilly through free agency. Spelled differently and he looks nothing like Dean, but I'll probably be having some mental crossover moments when I listen to games this season.