NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG #17
Jun 7, 2022Hey, Cuda Country! Hope you are all doing well. I’m writing this blog while watching the Colorado Avalanche punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals. If you’re wondering, they did touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl, which is awarded to the west champion each year. We’ll see if it makes a difference when they go for the Cup next round. Touching it or not touching it has come with mixed results. The tradition of not touching the conference championship trophy began in 1997 when the Flyers elected to not touch it. They would go on to be swept by the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, yet the tradition began. Since its inception, 11 of the 23 winners of the Stanley Cup did not touch the conference trophy. The Sharks didn’t touch it in 2016 :(
AHL teams do it from time to time, too. The Calder Playoffs are still going on and the Stockton Heat are now in a 2-0 hole after dropping the first two games in Chicago against a very good Wolves club. Gilroy native Dustin Wolf lost consecutive games in regulation just once during the regular season and has now suffered two straight losses to start the series. But Stockton will now return home where they are 4-0 during the playoffs and are coming off consecutive shutout wins in the prior series against Colorado. The Wolves are 3-0 on the road during the playoffs. The Heat were the best home team (.779) in the AHL during the regular season, while the Wolves were the league’s best road club (.711). The winner of the best-of-seven series will take home the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as winners of the Western Conference. The Wolves are defending west champs having played in the last Calder Cup Final in 2019, falling 4-1 to the Charlotte Checkers.
If you saw my interview with Brandon Coe this week, you probably noticed me wearing a hat. You also probably noticed a cut along my right eyebrow. I think I looked more like the hockey player than Coezy. For those of you who know me, I’m an avid surfer. Although the waves tend to be better in the winter and fall months, I don’t get in the water as much as I’d like because of the season. So when the year is over, I try and go almost every day. Last Tuesday, I actually paddled out for my second session of the day, it wasn’t bigger than 4-5 feet, yet I still managed to injure myself. As I caught a small wave in the inside, I fell forward and undenounced to me, it was only about two feet deep. I hit my face and head on the rock bottom below. I’ve cracked my head before but never this bad. After making sure I wasn’t severely injured, I immediately exited the water. I was bleeding pretty good so I rinsed off in the public shower and then had to run a couple of blocks up the road to my apartment. After an ER visit which resulted in seven stiches above my eye, a CT scan, and a tetanus shot, I was able to go home. The worst part of it is I can’t surf for two weeks. And right after the injury, right on queue, we had one of the best swells of the summer earlier this week. I tell you this all, not because I want to bore you with what I'm doing with my free time, but because, if you notice a few grammatical errors, we can blame it on the concussion. All jokes aside, I did share a video on my Instagram after it happened, and I had a ton of you reach out. So, thank you all very much for your well wishes. It was a scary one but I'm happy to report I'm on the mend and doing a lot better.
Speaking of off season activities, Golf always seems to be at the top of the list for players. Have you ever wanted to play Golf with them or even the coaches and staff? Well now you can, as the Barracuda will be hosting the 1st annual Barracuda Golf Classic Presented by IBEW at San Jose Country Club on Oct. 31. The team announced details last week. The proceeds from this tournament will benefit Home First Services of Santa Clara County. For more details, email info@sjbarracuda.com.
We wrap up this edition of Nolly’s Notes with another edition of @techcuarena Tuesday! The seats are in place and now its on to the center-hung scoreboard. Peep the two people in the top right corner of the photo. They’re standing where both the home and road broadcast booths will be. Can’t wait!
Before I sign off, I want you all to know I’ll be chatting with recently signed forward Mitchell Russell for an exclusive interview later today and will post next week, so keep an eye out for it.
Thanks for reading and so long until next time.
#SJBarracuda