Croco

I've had my Nike Bauer Vapor XVI's for about six weeks now and I've been out on the ice with them five times. It's a good skate and everything, but this is the problem I'm having with them...they start out feeling well enough. But after about 10 to 15 minutes, my feet start aching really badly and it gets to the point where I have to step off and take my feet out of the skates for a couple minutes and/or try to loosen up the laces. I had them thermoformed when I bought them, but I'm beginning to think that I didn't do a good enough job the first time around, and that's why they're killing my feet. Here is a picture better illustrating the problem I'm having: http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y165/Crocosaur/to...

If it comes down to having them reformed, then that's not a problem as I can just take them to a nearby hockey shop and they'll do it for a nominal fee. But if that's not the case, then what do I do? And buying another pair of skates is not a viable option for me right now as money is tight with me right now. So...any and all suggestions are welcome.

I'm looking to get a new pair of skates to (hopefully) kickstart my jump into competitive hockey. I went to the local hockey shop where I live with the intention of buying a pair of Nike Bauer Vapor XXII...only to find out that they didn't have any. And seeing as how I'm on a budget, I can't really afford the Vapor XXV at $299. So do I go with the Supreme ONE55 at $229...or do I splurge and get the Supra 301? The Grafs are $269, and I had set a $250 limit on my skates...but I like how they both feel in the sizes that they gave me.

Suggestions? Other brands would be welcome, but I'm set on those two for now...

Seeing as how Mikko Koivu was named captain of the Wild for the second straight month...and Saku's holding down the C for the Canadiens, is this a first in the NHL? If not, then who beat them to it?

My fiancee(or soon to be at least) is a solicitor who specializes in accident claim cases. However, she lives in the U.K. and has openly expressed her desire to move here with me, and now that she has the means to after gaining control of her deceased father's estate, I'm looking at her moving here permanently within the next year or so. Last I checked, foreign-trained attorneys cannot practice in the state (Florida) we're looking at, so we're trying to see if she cannot obtain a position as a paralegal or something like that without having to go back through school again.

I'm hoping that she can because I wanna go back to school myself and major in something related to finance. Any answers and advice would be most helpful. Thanks!

Okay, who do I start this week at quarterback: Donovan McNabb or David Garrard?

I know McNabb's the gamebreaker that every team covets, but statistically and score-wise, Garrard's the better man. (78.16 for Garrard vs. McNabb's 68.64) That and Garrard has yet to throw an interception, which is something that I find to be very important...however, they're both going up against a couple of good defensive units this week. (McNabb vs. Chicago, Garrard vs. Indianapolis)

So, who should I give the nod to this week? Like I said before, McNabb can turn the tide of a football game in one play, but it is Garrard's consistancy that is tempting me to make the switch. That and after spending six months and the first twelve weeks of the season last year in Jacksonville, I'm kinda partial to the Jags now...but that won't be a factor in my decision.

Face it...the Eagles destroyed us yesterday. I don't care about Kitna's 400-some passing yards (and even then, no Lito Sheppard AND Brian Dawkins accounted for half of that, at least) or that Kevin Jones was back in the lineup. The first two games (Oakland and Minnesota) were against teams that you were supposed to beat...and now, McNabb and Westbrook have exposed the weak link that the Lions have: their defense, specifically the secondary.

I said that there may be hope if they can get to the bye at 3-2...but against the Bears and the Redskins in D.C.? We might as well start scouting out the best collegiate cover corner right now or start thinking about who's gonna be on the free agent market...or maybe a solid linebacker. Now that we've got the offense taken care of, that seems like the next logical goal.

(P.S. Thank God I stuck with McNabb on my fantasy team this week...he did well for me. Especially since my other QB is David Garrard...I'm kinda partial to the Jaguars now.)

First he takes out one of his B-team teammates (Mears) and then he indirectly takes out the other.(Busch). This man is a danger to everyone on the track...well, everyone except Jeffy, and even then, who knows?

This is for all the REAL racing fans and NOT the Jimmie/Jeffy fanbois...should Jimmie be parked immediately or would you rather see him kill someone before NA$CAR does something? And judging by how NA$CAR handles things with those two, they can get away with anything under the sun and they'll just look the other way.

Before the introduction of the salary cap, the Red Wings had quite possibly the best checking line seen in the NHL, with Kirk Maltby at left wing, Kris Draper at center and Darren McCarty at right wing. Obviously Mac's gone, but Maltby and Draper are still in Detroit...

Which is why I ask this: when Dan Cleary's on that line with Maltby and Draper, does it remind you of the Grind Line's glory days? Obviously Cleary's no toughguy, but he's got that same kind of grit and hustle that made that unit famous. So do you think that the Maltby-Draper-Cleary line is the second coming of the Grind Line...or should that moniker be retired? (At least until Mac comes back to Detroit...if he ever does...)

Sure he was great when he was playing in Finland. When his team won back-to-back championships, here are the stats he put up in those seasons:

'03-'04: 24-9-8, 2.03 GAA, .936 Pct., 7 SO in 43 games

'04-05: 27-10-10, 2.17 GAA, .927 Pct., 7 SO in 47 games

I know what you're thinking...the Finnish league is NOT the NHL. You're right. Here's what Nik has done so far for the Wild:

'06-'07: 22-8-6, 1.99 GAA, .928 Pct., 5 SO in 40 games

If not for a couple of fellas named Brodeur and Luongo, I'd be waving the banner for Backstrom to get the Vezina Trophy. The numbers he put up this year are parallel to those he put up while in Finland against generally weaker competition, yet he doesn't get the recognition he rightly deserves for being one of the best goalies in the world.

So the Backstrom bandwagon starts here...who's with me?

(Thanks to www.hockeydb.com for the stats.)

My final three are:

- Roberto Luongo (Vancouver)

- Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh)

- Vincent Lecavalier (Tampa Bay)

I'm having a hard time picking between Crosby and Luongo...who do you think will be taking home the Hart Trophy this season? Chances are good it will be one of those three, but if there's someone else you're thinking of, throw them into the mix!

The Panthers are 6 points back with 5 games to play, and the teams they're fighting will be mired in their own battles. They have two more games against one of those teams (Carolina) as well as two more against the Capitals and one against the Lightning. If they win every one of their final five games and beat the Hurricanes in regulation in their two games...then the team that a friend of mine called the "toothless Kittens" could more than likely end up playing the Sabres or Devils in the first round of the playoffs. Does it happen?

...are the two highest career goal scorers from Finland in NHL history; Kurri with 601 and Selanne with 530 and counting. Who is third on the list? (And bonus points to the one that can tell me how many goals he scored)