14 September 2008

Needs more Red Sparkles

As it seems I'm stuck with the mantle of dispersing the Ty Conklin news and as he is now, in fact, a Wing (I'm still not over this, it makes me laugh every time I see it), here would appear to be the first look at his Red Wings mask, though he hasn't (yet, anyway) been using it in practice:


Rather matte for Conks, although it does seem to be in a similar vein as his Pittsburgh mask - quite a bit less shiny than what he wore in Buffalo.

14 comments:

Skye-chan said...

He seems to like the brick type pattern.

Kirsten said...

Ugh. I can't believe Conklin still has a job in this league. Maybe that's just me.

'Drea said...

I see this mask as nothing but a wasted opportunity

Anonymous said...

The Iceman Conketh.

Worn.

Is it a *surprise* he's keeping his equipment so close to last year??
(I agree on the red sparkles, though. He had white sparkles last year. Maybe he just...isn't....crazy....about...red.)

Steph said...

Skye: Right? I didn't realize at first that that was the reason it seemed so similar to his Pittsburgh venture, but it certainly is - maybe he just likes them enough to want to wear them a little bit longer than his few month stint in Pittsburgh.

Kirsten: You know, it's sort of astonishing - it kind of feels like it should be one of those feel-good stories, but it really just never makes it to that point. Hey if he plays as good here as in Pittsburgh, and NOT as "good" as in Edmonton then...okay.

'Drea: Lacking shiny :(

DS: The Iceman Conketh just became my fantasy hockey team name :P (Perhaps....although that's going to become rather unfortunate for him sooner rather than later. Looks nice on him in the picture, though!)

Anonymous said...

Steph: I will be taking credit for that all year (AND his 20 wins. Nick Lidstrom who?), thank you. ;)

It's kind of odd and not-odd that he's taking #29 again....he's had some success with it, #1 is retired, and I knew he wouldn't make Jimmy give up #35...but then it was available in C-bus and in B-lo, too, and it seemed like he wanted to abandon it after the collapse of '06 and the trauma and stigma of Game 1. Guess he hopes he gets the favorable side of it again this year.

(Actually, he's not the one who had the ice-brick pattern last year so much as MAF did...*cough*nocomment*COUGH* :D
(btwplztoinformhimnottobetouchingchrisosgoodkthxbye)

Steph said...

Hey you're right, that IS more like MAF's! What a copier! ;)

That IS odd...although he did wear 35 in Edmonton as well until Roloson came along and stole it from him. After that it did seem like he pretty much abandoned 29 whenever 35 was available for the taking...I guess it makes sense to go back to a familiar number rather than just picking something new arbitrarily. I just hope that we see the Conks we saw last year and not the one in 29 who set up that whole Oilers Game 1 debacle.

And take all the credit you want! Only fair after all.

Anonymous said...

Well, hey, aside from the debacle, he had #29 when he was the shiznit at UNH, and when the Bulldogs went to Game 7 in 2003 (and not, the year they didn't) and when the US got the bronze at the worlds (...and not, the year they didn't)...so, maybe after spending last year with MAF he's viewing #29 better again?

I was wrong about #29 being available on the Sabres, tho', but I don't think he ever wore #35 for Edmonton, Roli or not! (You're slipping, Steph! ;)

If you want, though, I'll tell you the story about him wearing #35 for the Pens...it's pretty good.

Steph said...

I BELIEVE he wore 35 either during one of his first stints as a call-up from Hamilton, or possibly just during training camps before he actually made the team. I have no idea if he ever wore it in an actual game or not, but I'm almost positive he did at one point wear it unofficially at least. Can't tell you why though - I feel like I must have seen a picture, or something.

I am always up for Conks stories, though! ;)

Anonymous said...

Well, this isn't *necessarily* so much about Conks, but then again it is...

So, the last guy to wear #35 for the Pens was one particular Tom Barrasso. Who kinda happens to be notably American. And has a birthday of March 31. And was so skilled at handling the puck that he ended up with more points than any goalie ever. And who is pretty much the only franchise goalie the Pens have ever HAD (MAF still has a couple of Cups to catch up.) And hey, he came to the Pens from....Buffalo (where he did NOT have #35, but that's another story).

But he was traded back at the end of '99-'00 and for all he did, it's not like the number was sacred or untoucheable or anything. Yet for an interval of more than seven years and plenty of goalies, for whatever reason, nobody wore it....

In fact, when Ty came up, aside from fear, the main emotion was "I can't believe the next guy wearing Tommy's number is gonna be this schmuck...9_9" And while I'd like to think that there was NO WAY he could NOT HAVE KNOWN WHOSE NUMBER HE WAS WEARING, even if he didn't realize nobody else had, this is Conks we're talking about. Somehow I get the suspicion if you asked him, he'd be either "no, I actually *didn't* know that when I got there!" or *shrug* "well, I had it in Columbus and Syracuse and Buffalo and I really didn't think about it..."

So aside from what you know happened next, when all was said and done, apart from him winning more games than he ever has, getting his first NHL point, and oh yeah, resurrecting his career from the dead, he also happened to break Barrasso's franchise record for single-season SV%. (Which I was hoping and rooting for and quite pleased about. .001 difference playing 30 fewer games. Haha, IT COUNTS.)

And while we ponder the question of whether Ty may or may not have sold his soul to a guy who's goalie coaching the 'Canes at the moment, it just so happens that Osgood only needs 7 more wins and he will pass...a certain person...on the all-time list.

Maybe he just needed to get to Pittsburgh for #35 to work.

Steph said...

Hahaha that is an awesome story - I knew Barrasso wore 35, but I had no idea no other goalie had worn it since then, actually. Leave it to Conks - makes me want to research the history of goalies wearing number 29 in Detroit - maybe then I'll know what I'm in for this eason.

Anonymous said...

(Uh, I don't know why Blogger's being a bitch about the links, but just take the https blogger.com part out. 9_9)

Not even no other goalie - NOBODY, period.
The only two people to have worn #35 for the Pens for the past *twenty years* are Tommy ...and...that schmuck...! XD

It's beautiful. Really.

Here's your research list?
(and uh, yeah, Ty's page is me. Sorry, but I really see Conks to DET as just some kind of balancing of karma...
The original message was: Conks (what the page *doesn't* show): In 2007-2008, he: 1) Saved the season. 2) Broke the "Florida" curse. 3) Was an example and exemplary for Marc-Andre Fleury. and 4) Broke a franchise record for season save percentage. Consider yourselves Conkblocked.)

Actually, I was quite grateful to Jimmy for existing so Ty'd have to switch, cause I don't want your Conks to be the same as our Conks, no offense. (Not that I don't want him to produce extremely well and shut people up.)

Personally, I was hoping he'd take #39...

.....what? I thought the whole point was that there weren't any changes this year! ;P
(Not like Slinkyman is the ONLY GOALIE TO WIN THE CUP THERE. OR PLAY THE LONGEST. OR HOLD 90% OF THE RECORDS. or anything. ;)

Anonymous said...

Coming down the Conkline:

And while we ponder what fate means by this... ("Welcome to Detroit, Conks!")

The Conkblock is clearly being established. (the media clearly having learned to fear the wrath of the Abominable Conklin.)

...Your Ty Conklin, Wings fans! ^_^

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