Thomas Vanek is Really Good at Hockey

There's not much that hasn't been said already about Thomas Vanek being named to the Eastern Conference All-Star roster, so I'll just let Thomas tell you about it himself:


Oh Thomas, how I love you and your annoyingly perfect team-first attitude. Seriously, this is about as individual an honor as you can get in a team sport, and he turns it into a representation of the team as a whole. Sometimes I have to wonder who trained him to say such perfect things.

The great thing about Thomas Vanek, though, is that none of his words ever seem "trained" or untrue. I really do think that he wants to help his team win more than anything, and that scoring goals is just his little (or not so little) way of helping. My favorite part of the interview is when he states that an All-Star appearance means nothing if the Sabres miss the playoffs. In a world where it seems that many athletes care more about personal stats than team success, it's nice to see a star player who genuinely wants to be a teammate first.

Maybe it's just the Carly's Club ski cap that has him looking so earnest, but I love the fact that Thomas Vanek is emerging as not just a good hockey player but a good person as well.

In other All Star news, Sweating Like Soupy (my fantasy hockey team) is well-represented on this year's rosters. Pat Kane, Brian Campbell, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Jay Bouwmeester are all players drafted by me who have made the roster for the game in Montreal.

I know what you're all thinking, and I am just as upset as you are that my Fantasy Hockey All-Star Benchwarmer didn't make the cut. Colby Armstrong is nowhere to be found on the roster. Oh well, I'm sure that it was only because they could pick just one representative from Atlanta, and I suppose it had to be Kovalchuk.

Though with a game-face like this, it is hard to imagine how such a high hockey-IQ could be ignored

To round out my discussion of all things All Star-related, many congratulations to our baby Sabres who have made the AHL All-Star squads! Mark Mancari will represent Canada, while Tim Kennedy and my future husband favorite Pirate Nate Gerbe will represent PlanetUSA.

Since I have made a New Year's Resolution to make sure every post mentions Paul Gaustad at least once, I must end this with a recap of Jason Pominville's latest blog:

*Marley and Me brought a tear to his eye (and anyone who doubted this does not know Jason Pominville)

*The system is finally starting to love him back by rewarding his line with goals.

*Goose made sure he was tucked in by 11:30 on New Year's Eve before they played the Leafs.

*He loves his new linemates, which include roommate Goose (and Matty Ellis). He says that Goose is "fun to play with," which is always nice to hear said about your favorite player. You can tell they're having fun out there, too, with the success they've been having.

Tomorrow Chris Drury comes back to town once again. As Thomas Vanek said so profoundly, he's just another player once the puck drops, but he's another player I'd really like to beat.