Just When I Think I Can't Love Ilya Bryzgalov More...

He goes and does stuff like this:

When asked what he would have done if he hadn’t become a professional hockey goalie, Bryzgalov didn’t hesitate.

“Astronaut,” he said quickly.

The media pack sort of blinked back at him. No one was sure whether he was kidding. He wasn’t.

“No, seriously,” he added.

At which point Bryzgalov began a long dissertation about the American space program versus the Soviet/Russian space program and which was superior. He noted that the first two animals in space were Russian dogs, which led to a strange exchange between Bryzgalov and a reporter about who had lost more monkeys in space -- the Americans or the Soviets/Russians. Bryzgalov conceded that too many monkeys had lost their lives in that vocation.

“The problem with monkeys,” Bryzgalov quipped, “they push the wrong buttons.”

WHY IS THERE NOT VIDEOTAPE OF THIS? My soul cries out for Bryz's opinion on the Soviet space program. How does he feel about the historical blind spot in which Valentina Tereshkova resides? Does he agree with Neil DeGrasse Tyson on the motivations behind the initial Soviet push? I NEED TO KNOW.

My soul also cries out because of last night's game. I don't really want to talk about it. Bryz was good, everyone else was inexplicably bad, Laviolette needs to yell at everyone, and it should never happen again. THE END. (Except to add that I kind of want to stab this guy with his own pen. "Bryzgalov played well, sure, but Philly doesn't need 'well.' Philly demands A GOALTENDING GOD." Jackass.)

I've been talking a lot (for me) about hockey fandom, but I've also been writing, in an incredibly distracted, ADD sort of way, three stories:

( Cut because I bored even myself with this bit )