StoneHands Think Tank

Peyton Joshua

Mid-year 2010, home alone searching jop postings.
Anyone know where I may find a good fit?
Here's what I got:

((I posted this comment at the Detroit Red Wings fan blog "Abel to Yzerman" earlier today in the 'comments' for two blog entries, "Keeping Secrets and Conspiracies" and "Hold Off On That Optimism Hawk Fans". While I don't approve of all the language used at A2Y, there is lots of fun Red Wings' fan support. GO WINGS!!!))


Great post, Chief, from top to bottom.

After yesterday’s stress-relieving funfest, ("Now That’s A Win!!!!!!!!!!!"),

… after a 60-minute effort of perfectly beautiful Red Wings hockey.
Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 05/24/09 at 02:48 PM ET
Exactly what I think we will see!
Posted by stonehands-78_WingsFan since the beginning ... on 05/24/09 at 02:55 PM ET

and today as a holiday, a day from work, sitting here at home in my boxers, drinking from a fresh pot of coffee, reading A2Y with all the fun, thoughtful, high-spirited and, yes, some good junvenile comments (to all the 19, “Thank you!"), there is little I could or want to contribute that would have significant benefit to the dialogue here - I’m just thoroughly enjoying the day and having the Red Wings and the 19 to share my enthusiasm and excitement!

Life is good!

Yes, I know we haven’t won anything, yet. And the economy is in the tank. And gas prices are going back up to whatever altitude Exxon-Mobile decides. And my 401(K) and IRA are worth half what they were a year ago. And unemployment is as high as its been in 20 (?) years, effecting all of us. And ... STOP!

This is not a day to think on those things. This is a day to relish the progress and acheivements in the quest to no. 12. So that is what I am doing for a time. Today is a day to sit back, relax and enjoy life as it is.

More importantly, it is also a day to remember and be thankful to all that have and are serving our country. And to be thankful for the freedoms we are allowed to enjoy because of the sacrafice of many to give the ultimate for their country and the principles by which this republic was founded.

John 15:13
“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Thank you my friends.

And thank you God for Your wonderful love, mercy and grace.

Posted by stonehands-78_WingsFan since the beginning ... on 05/25/09 at 12:29 PM ET

.

"A picture is worth a thousand words."
And a new word is defined:




An instant classic!

It's been a long time since I've entered any posts but a recent event has me in the mood.

As a long time Detroit Red Wings fan, the last several NHL seasons have been a highlight for me in spite of some family happenings that have been a lot for anyone to have to deal with. I praise God for His faithfulness in sustaining me as I continue this life's journey which will culminate in my presence in His glory for eternity!

Hebrews 13:5
"Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."


The matter which has prompted my desire to vent my frustrations (i.e. "rant", if you will) concerns last night's Western Conference Finals game 3 between Detroit and Chicago. Down 2-0 in the 1st period, Niklas Kronwall, defenseman for the Wings, delivered a hit to the Blackhawks' Martin Havlat that resulted in a five minute interference call and a game misconduct to Kronwall. Havlat was knocked-out cold for a minute or more, left the ice and did not return. It is unfortunate that he got his bell wrung and he may or may not be able to play in the next game, (nor possibly the remainder of the playoffs) but as is said in this sport, "Keep your head up!". Hockey is a fast, hard hitting, strength and endurance, team game. The rules allow play to involve lots of contact and aggression to possess the puck and score as many goals as possible while preventing the opponent from scoring fewer if any. It is often referred to as a collision sport! (You can find all the details on most sport/hockey web sites so I won't be redundant nor try to claim any journalistic abilities to write this, therefore I'll try to be brief.)

My frustration is this: having watched A LOT of hockey and thinking I have a pretty good understanding of the rules, it is MIND BOGGLING to try and understand why the NHL officiating is so inconsistent!!!

Here's a screenshot of the moment of impact:

The captions may be a bit hard to read so I'll list them from the top-down:

"Shoulder -- NOT elbow" (a legal hit)

"Kronwall's elbow -- NOT hitting head" (elbow-to-head is considered 'dirty' and not legit)

"Distance between Havlat and puck: approx. 1.5 inches -- NOT interference" (it is correct to check the player who is with the puck)

"Both skates on ice at impact" (NOT leaving the ice to enhance the hit, which is also 'dirty')

This was a good, clean, hockey play! It is neither interference nor deserving of a misconduct penalty!

Many other plays during the playoffs this year (not to mention previous years AND regular seasons) have been more severe yet with lesser penalties called, if any at all!

1st Question: IF the play had been exactly the same EXCEPT that Havlet got up and skated away, would there have been a basis to call Kronwall for any penalties?

2nd Question: AND would there in fact have been any penalties called on that basis?

It will be known before game 4 Sunday if the league hands-out any further discipline (i.e a fine and/or suspension) but for now, the fact that the play was handled as it was just makes he ANGRY!!!

There. I feel better. Sorta. I'll be reading and hearing and seeing more on this in the hours and days to come. I can only hope this doesn't cause the wings, the best overall organization, top-down, to ever have been assembled in the history of the National Hockey League and ALL of professional hockey AND all of professional sports to date, to be ROBBED of a legitimate opportunity to claim their 12th Stanley Cup Championship!

LET'S GO RED WINGS!!!

We need 6 more wins to have number 12!

Here's a link to a popular hockey fans' blog with more: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/hockey/comments/kronwall_hit_on_havlat/

Also, check-out A2Y. While I don't approve of all the language used, there is lots of fun Red Wings' fan support: http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/A2Y/

GO WINGS!

It has been awhile since my last post.

A lot has happened in the past year or so which I may share a few thoughts about at some future time. (I miss you Josh ... ) (And I look forward with great hope in Jesus Christ to our reunion!)

But for now I'll simply say I'm back and plan to post a bit from time to time.

'Tis "the cup" season - GO WINGS!!!

Still up two games to one.

Stay determined!

(Put out the flame in Game 4 on Thursday.)

Recap at NHL.com.

Step two complete.

Keep the hammer down!

(Nice to see Datsyuk can really let it fly, too!)

Complete recap at NHL.com.

The first step of this campaign looked good!

Stay focused, keep the pressure on - it was only the first step.

(By the way, very nice touch by Pavel Datsyuk on his goal - smoooooth!)

Complete recap at NHL.com.

Based on the reviews, to see this well deserved recognition in person is the only way to do it justice. Wow!

Good article to read before the drive begins.

Ride the "Red Wave"!

Go Wings!!!

Today's good news:

"Wings sign Datsyuk to 7-year deal"

Here is the official release.

Thanks!, Pavel!

(And "Thank you!" to:

Mr. & Mrs. Ilitch, Ken H. and Stevie-Y.)

Mr. Yzerman's contributions to hockey are only beginning to be fully appreciated.

Check this out.

Thank you, Steve Yzerman!

........ ouch!

Let it be so designated:

February 7th through February 11th,
the year of our Lord two thousand and seven,
shall be officially declared as
"Gaming Weekend No. 13"!

Signed - Stonehands (soon to be former 'GW Rookie')

Just thought I'd better let it be known prior to the first tip-off in the finals between Dallas and Miami that I'm going with ...


... the Miami Heat.

(After all, the Heat having beaten the Pistons, Detroit could at least claim a tie for second with the Mavericks, right?)

Just thought I'd better let it be known prior to the first drop of the puck in the finals between Carolina and Edmonton that I'm going with ...


... the Edmonton Oilers.

(After all, the Oilers having beaten the Wings, Detroit could at least claim a tie for second with the Hurricanes, right?)

Steve Yzerman: he has earned it !!!

(Hey, Mr. Yzerman. Please let us see the No. 19 on the ice again next season!)

Don't question this man's focus. Another win is just around the next turn.

And another championship!

As I contemplate which team to cheer for as this year's quest for the cup continues, (Maybe Edmonton? As the underdog, can they keep their momentum and provide Detroit some solace to having been defeated by the eventual champions?), the future for Stevie Y. as a player leaves me wondering ...

(By the way, isn't the Stanley Cup quite the prize?! I believe what makes it so special is the great teamwork & perseverance over adversity required thru several weeks of a 'second season', and the individual pain & sacrafice needed to claim it as the trophy of the victors! To then have one's name engraved on it, to become a part of it for all future champions to behold, is an honor only the few will experience. It truly is a unique crown in all of sports!)

... I wonder ...

"Congratulations" are offered to the Edmonton Oilers for their first round playoff success.

And a hearty "Thank You!" is expressed to the Detroit Red Wings for their exciting season and moments of sports entertainment pleasure.

Finally, I would hope the entire hockey world is ready to acknowledge the true leader Mr. Steve Yzerman is. His tremendous talent and willingness to "give" for the team is sadly too rare in pro sports today.

Thanks, Steve. I hope to see you in uniform next year for another run for the cup.

In spite of Detroit's many highly skilled & talented players and their various superior achievements during the NHL's '05-'06 regular season, they find themselves down in the first round, best-of-seven series with Edmonton 3 games to 2. Another loss will end the season and this chance to continue a run at the Stanley Cup.

Tonight's game 6 is their opportunity to excel as a team.
Tonight they 'win or go home'.
Tonight "BRING IT!".

With the game 3 loss in double overtime, the Detroit Red Wings now have their work cut out for them, being down in the 1st-round NHL '05-'06 playoffs, best-of-seven series with the Edmonton Oilers 2 games to 1. But in the words of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard: "Never give up!"

(Maurice Richard, known for his speed on the ice and his powerful shots, spent 18 years with the Montreal Canadiens. His career included eight Stanley Cup Championships, and he was the first National Hockey League (NHL) player to score 50 goals in 50 games. When he died in 2000 at the age of 78, Prime Minister Chrétien remarked of this most dedicated hockey player that he "...defined and transcended the game of hockey.")

With high hopes for a long run in the playoffs and another Stanley Cup, much rests on this 'average kid' to be way above average!

Manny Legace: " ... a 5-foot-9, 162-pound goaltender, who for most of his life looked like Spanky from the Little Rascals. A chubby, little guy who would never really be considered an athlete and was one of the last kids picked in a dodgeball game or a football game when his buddies were choosing up sides."

Remember: he has lots of help, too. BRING IT!

Well said! in this article by By Larry Wigge, NHL.com

While the NHL's Presidents' Trophy, awarded to the team with the best regular season record, is considered an outstanding achievement, (by the way, the Wing's have received it 5 times since the first one was awarded in 1986 - no other team has more than 2), it isn't the one trophy all hockey players covet - THE Stanley Cup.

Note that when Detroit's alternate captains, Nicklas Lidstrom & Brendan Shanahan, accepted the award last Monday, 04/17/06, before their win over Dallas, (by the way again, wasn't that a great come-from-behind, 3rd period win!!!), it was "Hands Off!, Don't Touch!", least bad fortune come upon them in their quest for another championship. (Their current total is at 10 , and counting ..... )

"BRING IT!" Go Wings!!!!!

When I read this, the 04/21/06 devotional from "Our Daily Bread", I thought it to be a very important reminder of what we are to consider 'important' in life.

Please read and pass on to someone you love!


April 21, 2006

"Not Enough"

Read: Ecclesiastes 2:1-16

What profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Luke 9:25

"The writer of Ecclesiastes said that pleasure, material possessions, and even great knowledge do not bring lasting satisfaction. Jesus went even further. He said that a person who possesses everything this world has to offer but doesn't prepare for eternity is spiritually destitute. We all need more than fun, finances, and fame to be fulfilled."

"Thinking about this made me consider some prominent people who had committed suicide. One was a baseball star, several were entertainers, and two had inherited great wealth. I also recalled a highly esteemed scholar and his wife who both took a lethal overdose of drugs when they learned that she had terminal cancer. These people had failed to find meaning in their existence."

"Because we were created in God's image, our lives do have meaning for both time and eternity. God made us for His glory and placed us on earth to honor Him. We have the remarkable ability to reflect on Him and on eternity."

"Believing that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the grave meets our need for meaning. Salvation brings assurance that we're forgiven. We have an eternal purpose and the hope of heaven. This is enough to bring deep peace and joy to our lives. Have you found this to be so?" —Herb Vander Lugt

Perhaps you're looking for that elusive sense of satisfaction. Check out Why In The World Am I Here?

"Hold loosely the things of earth." —ten Boom

Having wrapped-up the President's Trophy for the league's best record, the Wings appear in great trim to claim another Cup.

Here is another of many reasons they appear ready to have their names engraved in silver again!

"Cherish it while it lasts hockey fans, there may only be two months left in one of the NHL's greatest careers."

As was my good friend, K.R. (and a hat tip to rougblog commentary), I too was respectfully impressed with Mr. Mark M. Alexander's column on "Resurrection Day 2006: Hidden liberty". Please take the time to read the entire essay. I trust you will find it worthy of being considered "time well spent"!

May all of mankind remember our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, not only this weekend, but each and every day, whereby we can enjoy liberty from sin and the bondage thereof!

For the truly born again believer, having placed complete faith and trust in the finished work (once and for all!) of Jesus Christ, we can praise God every day for the gift of His Son and the sacrafice He made by His blood as atonement for the sins of man.

May God be pleased to grant His blessings upon you this day and each day here after.

As the regular season comes to a close, the league leading Wings prep for another Cup run.

Here is one of many reasons they appear ready to have their names engraved in silver again!

It is said this is "April Fools' Day" or "All Fool's Day".

There is, however, a clear definition of 'the every day fool':
Psalm 14:1
1 "The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."

The contrast between the wise & the fool:
Proverbs 1:7
7 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction."

The ways of the fool, written about 2000 years ago, are sadly still so true today:
Romans 1:16-32
16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."
17 "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
18 "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;"
19 "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."
20 "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"
21 "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened."
22 "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"
23 "And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things."
24 "Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:"
25 "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen."
26 "For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:"
27 "And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet."
28 "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;"
29 "Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,"
30 "Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,"
31 "Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:"
32 "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."


Be not a fool; be wise. Trust in the work of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ , and develop a close, personal relationship with Him.
I know you will never regret it!

After a weekend away, this has been an exhausting week. But it is now Friday, the last day of March 2006.

In today's Bible devotional that I receive each day in series via email, (see here) , I was reminded that "Life is short, ... " and we should think: "Don't spend time; invest it."

I am thankful for the faith God's given me. With the way time 'marches on' and with all the challenges & surprises life has to offer day-by-day, it would be tempting to just fall into a discouraged attitude. But this is life today and this life today is short. The hope I've received from God is for the next life, a life of His glory, a life long lasting - eternal! This hope allows me to 'march' each day for His calling, for His glory. A "know-so hope", not a "hope-so hope", that when I trust Him, He will see me through the day and I can enjoy the blessings today of 'resting' in Him.

Time marches on and I am investing in the future by trusting God to lead me each and every day.