Hockey for Bernies (Who's Who - Rookie and Hottie Edition)

 

Does it get any better?

Aaaaah yes. Rookies and Hotties. What a
delicious post this has been to write.

Disclaimer: While I do feel that the Rookies section is fairly comprehensive, and covers the four NHL newbies that will be the most frequently discussed this season, the Hotties section is completely based on my own taste and type. If you feel like I've made a grievous error and left someone off of the list, let me know! I'm always looking for new NHL players to have unreciprocated, sad crushes on.

Rookies:

Taylor Hall: This is the guy to watch this season, and if he didn't play for the Edmonton Oilers, I probably would. Drafted first overall in the 2010 draft, Hall is an incredible playmaker (who he will be making these plays with remains to be seen however...) and a mature player who plays well with and without the puck. He's definitely the frontrunner for the Calder Trophy (aka Rookie of the Year award), so remember this name. Just throwing it into conversations along with things like "yah but too bad Edmonton sucks even worse than the Leafs" will give you some cred.

Tyler Seguin: This is a tough one for me to talk about. Seguin was drafted second overall in the 2010 draft by the Boston Bruins ... with the Leafs' pick. Allow me to explain, as you can bet that the Toronto Sun will be simply resplendent with stories crucifying Brian Burke every time Seguin does anything of any value whatsoever. One of Burke's first major moves as GM for the Leafs was to acquire Phil Kessel from the Bruins. Kessel is currently playing right wing on the first line for the Leafs, and is by far the team's highest producing forward. However, in exchange for Kessel, Burke gave the Bruins a pair of first round draft picks (for 2010 and 2011), and a second rounder. When a team acquires a draft pick, they then select players in the draft based on how the team they traded with placed in the season prior to the draft (still with me?) - so because the Leafs soul-crushingly finished in second last this past season, the Boston Bruins got to pick second in the first round (and the Edmonton Oilers, who finished last this past season, got to pick first). The Bruins selected Seguin. Moral of the story: I am hoping that Tyler Seguin crashes and burns, and takes the rest of the despicable Bruins with him.

Nazem Kadri: aka The Chosen One. It seems like all of Toronto is pinning its hopes on Kadri who, after being drafted seventh overall in the 2009 draft, has added enough bulk in the off-season to make his speed and soft touch with the puck a veritable threat to any opposing team. He will likely start off centering the third line, but look for him to move on up when Ron Wilson loses his cool with Mikhail "Sergei Berezin" Grabovski. [note: Sergei Berezin used to the play for the Leafs and was a consummate puck hog who was too busy trying to be a fancy Russian to actually score any goals (save for a small blip in the system in 1998-1999)].

Cody Hodgson: Selected 10th overall in the 2008 draft, a persistent back injury kept Hodgson out of the Canucks' lineup last season - But in the month that he played for the Brampton Battalion, he acquired 20 points in 13 games played. And despite being injured, he's still listed as the #4 prospect on Future Watch 2010.

Hotties:

First and foremost - Andrew Ference, who is seen here -->
Defenceman for the Boston Bruins (#21), the man is not just a beautiful (and insanely built) hat rack. The last couple of years have seen Ference taking an increasing involvement in environmental initiatives, and this past summer, when he wasn't working out, he was down in the Gulf of Mexico to help rehabilitate the coastline after the BP oil spill. He has two daughters (Ava and Stella), 13 tattoos, and is currently recovering from a groin injury (*wiiiiiiink*) that had him benched for most of last season.

Taylor Pyatt - the man with the most incredible baby blues you will ever see. A former Canuck, Pyatt now plays left wing for the Phoenix Coyotes (#14). On April 2, 2009, Pyatt tragically lost his highschool sweetheart (and fiancee) of 11 years  when the taxi cab she was taking lost control and overturned, crashing into a utility pole. On the first anniversary of her death, Pyatt had a "Gordie Howe hat trick" (a goal, an assist, and a fight), and when asked about the significance of having such a good game on such an important date, he told the reporter that every time he is on the ice, it's for her.
I. Love. Him.

Antoine Vermette - I don't really want to spend too much time on this one, considering the rag that he is putting on in the picture (luckily, he no longer plays for the Dreaded X, but instead plays centre for the Columbus Blue Jackets - #50), but my god ...

Sheldon Souray - Looks like a soap star. And not a Young-and-the-Restless-my-grandma-loves-him kind of soap star, but a sexy foreign one who is somehow always missing the first four buttons on his shirt and always seems to have just come in from the rain. Oh yah, he also plays defence for the Edmonton Oilers (#44).

Henrik Lundqvist - Goaltender for the New York Rangers, and the number one argument for removing the cage from the goalie mask.

Peter Schaefer - Regrettably another former Senator, Schaefer is currently a free agent ... both in the NHL (which means that he can be signed by any team - And he was most recently invited to the Canucks' training camp!), and in real life (which means I am currently coming up with a plan to make him my boyfriend).

Carey Price - My only cradle-robbing selection, and the second goalie (for the Montreal Canadiens) on this list, Carey Price is not just smokin hot, he is also one cool cat. It's not easy being a goaltender in Montreal, where the fans will either idolize or villify you based on your performance in one period of a pre-season game , but Price always seems to keep his cool. My favourite Price moment was when Montreal fans, in all of their infinite compassion and patience, sarcastically cheered when Price made a routine save, and Price raised his arms in mock celebration right back at them (as seen here). I love people who make Habs fans feel like idiots.  

Petr Sykora - Also a free agent, Sykora would not have normally made the list, but for the fact that when asked how he felt about scoring his first natural hat trick, he replied: "I don't care anymore. I have a beautiful son, and that's all that matters." AH-DORABLE.  Yah, NOW go back and look at that picture. Cuter right?

Ok, so I got slightly carried away in my research, and decided to add my two favourite soccer (or "football" for my European readers - haha who am I kidding?) players:

Iker Casillas. Keeper for 2010 World Cup Champions. He is a beautiful man. That is all.






And David Villa. Villa normally plays for Barcelona FC, and during Spain's World Cup campaign, he scored the majority of his team's goals.


They are the two reasons I am learning Spanish.