We've moved.

Well, I came to realize pretty quickly that I had painted myself into a corner with the name I chose for the blog. A rather tight corner. I actually don't plan on posting a different jersey each and every day, as yesterday's entry showed.

So, before I get too far down this path, I've made an adjustment and changed the name of the blog to Third String Goalie and, as a result, there's a new address for you to bookmark.

http://thirdstringgoalie.blogspot.com/

Same great taste. Same great flavor. More jerseys than you can shake a broken composite stick at. I've already moved all the existing posts over there so you won't miss a thing and I've got a tasty new one just waiting for you when you come on over.

Why "Third String Goalie"? It comes from a "Sport Page Dictionary" article in a 1956 Baseball Digest where a "Third String Catcher" was defined as "A spectator who wears a baseball uniform".

Well if that isn't me, I don't know what is.

I've also set up a blog called "Third String Catcher" for posting my baseball jersey collection and I'll let everyone know when that has some content added. I just thought with having two blogs with similar names it would be a much better Brand Management with Integrated Synergy, Cohesive Strategy Formulation, Improved Relationship Models and all those other good Marketing Science Keywords, so, please update your bookmarks and continue to enjoy the journey. We've just gotten started so there's plenty more ahead of us. Like Icelandic Beer Day.

I kid you not.

See you on the other side!

Firewagon Hockey

I hope you caught the third period of the Blackhawks vs. Canucks game last night. It was a return to the Firewagon Hockey of the 80's, with 12 goals, 6 of them in a third period that included 3 lead changes in 10 minutes alone. The game itself had a total of five lead changes. When was the last time you saw that in a playoff game?

I'll tell you when...

Earlier the same evening after Washington forced a Game 7 back at home by defeating Pittsburgh in overtime in a game that also featured five lead changes. Wednesday night's Game 7 could be an "instant classic" as these two teams meet up one final time. Clear your calendars for that one.

It's a far cry from the Anaheim Ducks vs. Minnesota Wild pre-lockout series in 2003 where the first goal won, a four game series that featured a total of 10 goals, followed by a seven game finals between the Ducks and Devils that included no less than four shutouts.

In the meantime, we get a legitimate double header tonight as Boston visits Carolina followed by Detroit traveling out West to try to eliminate Anaheim.

One nice thing about Carolina making a playoff run is some rare national TV time for the 'Canes and an opportunity to see The Storm Squad, the classiest Ice Girls/Cheer Squad in the whole NHL.

2005 Miroslav Satan Slovakia World Championships Jersey

The Republic of Slovakia was founded on January 1, 1993 when Czechoslovakia peacefully separated into Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Slovakia were first placed, somewhat unfairly, by the IIHF in the "C" Pool, while the Czech Republic, whose players dominated the former Czechoslovakian National Team, started life by being placed immediately into in the "A" pool.

Showing they were, in fact seeded too low, the Slovaks won the "C" Pool in 1994, earning promotion to the "B" Pool, which proved no problem for them either, as they would go on to win that in their first try in 1995 as well.

It was tougher going now that they were among the world's hockey elite in the "A" Pool, placing no higher than 7th over the next four years, but comfortably in the top group, never being threatened with relegation either. A glimpse of what was to come was shown by a fine Silver Medal in 2000, losing to rivals Czech Republic 5-3 in the final in St. Petersburg, Russia. The next year was a return to their previous form, as they again finished 7th.

But it all came right in 2002. Placing second in their group. Slovakia defeated Poland and Ukraine, but lost to Finland in the Preliminary Round. In the Qualification Round, they defeated Sweden, Austria and Russia, proving they were to be reckoned with. In the Quarter Finals they eliminated Canada in regulation, coming from behind with two goals in the third, before having to go to a tense shootout to defeat Sweden to move into the Finals, again vs. Russia, where they won on a goal by the great Peter Bondra.

The jersey I've chosen to feature today is from the leading scorer of the 2002 Slovak team, Miroslav Satan. This style was used in the 2005 World Championships, where Satan captained the team. It's a Nike home white jersey, again featuring one of my custom made sponsorship patches from automaker Skoda, loyal sponsor of the IIHF World Championships.

Since that time, Slovakia has not been able to sustain the success they once achieved, finishing with the Bronze in 2003, then slowly sliding down to 4th, 5th, 8th, a bump back up to 6th and then having to fight off relegation for the first time while finishing a disappointing 13th in 2008 due to a combination of the retirement of stars like Bondra and Ziggy Palffy, as well as the NHL obligations of stars such as Marian Hossa and Zedeno Chara. For comparison, the 2002 team featured recognizable NHLers such as Visnovsky, Bartecko, Bondra, Handzus, Nagy, Orzaugh, Palffy, Petrovicky, Stumpel and Satan, while the 2009 team has two NHL regulars, Jaroslav Halak from Montreal and Handzus.

Dasherboard: Speaking of the World Championships, Russia defeated Canada yesterday in a hard-fought 2-1 win with the game winning goal coming from stick-spinning former Nashville Predator Alexander Radulov.

Radulov finished the tournament with 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points in 9 games, second in team scoring only to tournament MVP Ilya Kovalchuk (9-5-14). Russia was a perfect 10-0, surrendering only a single point in the standings to Sweden in a Russian win in overtime.

Radulov, perhaps the first player in hockey history to defect from the USA to Russia. Apparently the thought of another winter in Nashville proved too much to bear, as he chose to play this season in the sunny climes of Ufa, in the heart of scenic Bashkorostan.