St. Louis Blues Alumni Could Mean Any Number of Things

After this past season's Mizzou-Kansas Border War hockey "game" – a shared dream some of us had where we thought the University of Kansas had a hockey team, but then we woke up and all was right with the world again – one could only imagine what kind of exciting hockey events could be on the horizon for our metro area.  Well, here ya go.

Friday, January 18th, 2013, at Independence Events Center, the University of Missouri hockey club will play against members of the St. Louis Blues Alumni.  Who is on that team?  Who knows!  Could be any number of players!  Phil Housley!  Derek Armstrong!  Tommy Barrasso!  Charlie Huddy!  Wayne Gretzky!!!  What an amazing lineup, I can't see why none of those guys won't play!  Anyway, there's probably more info coming on this event, so keep a look out.

Remember when Mizzou and Kansas were supposed to play on January 17th of next month?  Yeah, I don't know if that's going to happen now, but this other thing is, so yay!

UPDATE:  Oh, I guess some of the players include Jon Casey, Tony Twist, and Darren Pang.  Oh well.

My Announcer Could Beat Up Your Announcer

Bob Miller, Stanley Cup Champion

In case you need a delightful hockey tale about the "good ol' days" in your life right now, here you have it (link below).

Bob Miller, the play-by-play announcer of the Los Angeles Kings' since 1973, wrote a story a few weeks ago over at the LA Kings Insider site about a trip the Kings made to face the Scouts at Kemper Arena.  It's a delightful tale of the Scouts losing, but also has everything you want in a story about Kansas City: people throwing crap on a playing surface, lazy security guards, imposing jerks, and empty threats.

Anyway, it's a good story, if for no other reason because there are few people out there with a Scouts story.  By the way, both the Kings and Scouts played in something called the NHL, which I'm told is a former North American pro hockey league.

LA Kings Insider – There Used to be an Arena - Kemper Arena

Not Hockey, Just Thought You Should Know

The Kansas City Brigade/Command, the American Football League franchise that played in Sprint Center, ceased operations in September.  But don't fret, local indoor football fan!  Kansas City has a new team – the Renegades – playing in the regional Champions Professional Indoor Football League.  And they are going to play in Kemper Arena!  Oh wow.

The ten or twelve game season is set to begin in February, so Kemper Arena has events for about five or six days over the course of the next year.  Could this signal a rebirth of the arena, a new era, a Renaissance d'Kemper?  Eh, probably not.  But, hey, it's being used for sports again.  As for the Sprint Center, well, it loses its only permanent tenant.  The narrative writes itself.

Here is the team's official stance on using Kemper Arena:

Kansas City is a football town. We know that football is about more than just hard hits and great plays. It's about the atmosphere, and Kemper Arena provides Kansas City fans with best possible atmosphere for professional indoor football. Starting in the 2013 season, fans will be able to come to a KC Indoor Football game and tailgate with friends, family, and football fans. Then they will enter into the largest arena CPIFL, with over 17,000 seats. There will be loud crowds, live music and smash mouth professional indoor football.

"KEMPER SMASH!"

Videos for Your Viewing Pleasure

Here are a couple Ice Breaker Tourney videos courtesy of College Hockey Inc.  The first video features all goals from all of the games.  The second video are highlights of the Notre Dame–Nebraska-Omaha championship game.  Enjoy!

Question: At about :52 seconds of the above video, why do the college officials have to go ALL THE WAY into the timekeepers' bench to watch a video replay?  That's terribly inconvenient.

Since the tournament:

Army 2-3-1 overall, 4th in Atlantic Hockey

Notre Dame 6-2 overall, 1st in CCHA

Nebraska-Omaha 4-3-1 overall, 3rd in WCHA

Maine 1-8 overall, last in Hockey East.  Only victory against Army in Consolation Game.