Recall if you will, last season (I know it’s hard, pretend late April didn’t happen, that’s what I do).  Go all the way back to the second weekend of December.  It was a glorious time to be a Devils fan.  The Devils were in the midst of one of the wildest games of the year and possibly the most fun game I have ever had the pleasure of attending – a total 80s-style scorefest against the Rangers that the Red n’ Black took by a final score of 8-5.  During that game, one Mr. Dainius Zubrus notched his 21st goal as a Devil.

That evening, rather than waiting to get home and make a new ZubbieCounter update, I wrote it on a piece of paper, snapped a picture with my cell phone, and sent it along to Steve, who posted it on this very blog.  This started a discussion between Steve, Joe, and myself.  We decided to hold a contest, in which you, the 2MA reader, would submit (or Zubmit) your own ZubbieCounter updates.  We’d pick one for each goal, and in the end, you the reader would get to vote on which one you liked best, with the winner getting undetermined prizes.

The contest was a huge success for us – I didn’t realize how many entries we actually got until I went through the ZubbieCounter e-mail address again a few days ago.  There were some absolutely brilliant entries for each of his goals for the remainder of the season.

And then the playoffs happened.  We spiraled into an uncontrollable funk that we’re only just now finally breaking out of.  I’ve promised you the Zubbie awards for months now, and the time has finally come.

Below you will find each of the winners from last season.  On the main page, you’ll see our nifty new poll feature.  Simply go over there and vote for which one you like the best.  Vote only once please (I’m using an honor system here, but if I suspect monkey business, I’ll suspend voting a choose my own winner.  It’s my contest, I can do that, y’know).  Also, two nominees are nominated twice.  Because quite frankly, the two winners for the last goal of the season were both too funny.  Again, my contest, I can do what I want.  Booyah grandma.

Winner gets still-to-be-determined STUFF.  Said stuff will probably not even be determined until I have a box that I have to fill with something.  You will definitely get the Chico Resch autographed 2MA sticker, though, and probably a bunch of other awesome things.

So, without further ado, I present to you, your 2008-2009 ZUBBIE AWARD NOMINEES:

Steven O’s Zubmission

Wilson L’s Zubmission

Jon C’s Zubmission (24th goal)

Chris S (Rico)’s Zubmission

Kevin B’s Zubmission (26th goal)

Kristyn’s Zubmission

Jon C’s Zubmission (28th goal)

Kevin B’s Zubmission (28th goal)

So there you have it.  Get to voting!  Since this is a ZubbieCounter contest, I say we let Zubbie decide when voting ends.  We’ll take votes until the end of the game in which Zubbie scores his 33rd goal as a Devil, or until 4 PM on November 15th.  Whichever happens first.  Probably the latter.  Either way, get your votes in now!

I’m sure this priceless piece of information was buried somewhere within the paperwork of Kane’s contract, he just hasn’t learned to read the fine print so early in his NHL career.

Not a gallant way to make a name for yourself in your sport. Unless of course you were going for the whole Carl Everett thing.

Grow up, Mr. Kane.

***

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Thank you, Kristyn, for the inspiration.

Ahem.  Thank you.  I have returned from the dark depths known as summer classes.  Y’know, when they stuff four months worth of knowledge and work into your brain over the course of four weeks.  Of course, I’m doing it again this month, but I don’t actually have to BE there.

So instead, I can be here!  Huzzah!

First order of bid-ness comes in the form of “OMGLOOKATUSWEREGONNALIVECAPFREEAGENCY!”

Get here early, as the immitible Steve Stirling will be keeping you posted on all the pre-noon FA opening shenanegans and goings-on.

Then, around noonish, there will be a seemless transition of updating power, as Steve takes his leave and I take my seat at the laptop/television screens.  And by seemless transition, I mean one or both of us will likely go missing and the internets will possibly explode.

Seemless.

So join us tomorrow for the third annual 2 Man Advantage Free Agent Signing Day Happy Fun Time & Box Social!

Also, I haven’t forgotten about the ZubbieCounterContest.  I’ll get on that…eventually.  Before the summer’s out.  Probably.  Hey, maybe we’ll get lucky and the contest voting will be a big celebration of the trade to ditch Zubbie’s contract that Lou is surely working on as we speak.

…He’s not working on it as we speak?

Drats.

That’s what my therapist tells me, at least.

Alas, the boys and I have decided to give 2MA a little makeover. We’ve one again enlisted the wonderful and talented Dustin to give good ol’ 2MA a fresh look. Be on the lookout for a new site design in the coming months, but for now we need YOUR help!

See, Dustin came up with a wonderful logo and banner for us. For this, we owe him babies, ponies, and lots of Skittles. It was a hard bargain, but I think it’s a good deal. Regardless, the boys and I had a little trouble coming up with a new slogan for the website.

This is where you come in.

We need a catchy tag line for our new 2MA banner. Help us out! Email your ideas and suggestions to us right HERE. Keep it simple, keep it short, but keep it awesome! Remember, this needs to fit on our header. The winning slogan will appear on the new 2MA banner. Oh, and ya never know — we may have some other goodies up or sleeves for the winner!

We’ll keep this contest running throughout the playoffs, but act now! We need HELP!!

Oh, it might help to see the new banner, huh? Well then, here ya go:

Dandy, huh?

Correct.

Tonight is all do-or-die, a position all too familiar to Devils fans over the past few years. Why do our boys play with our hearts so freely?

It may be poetic, but I sure don’t want to see any tragedies tonight. I WANT EPIC BATTLES AND EPIC WINS MOTHERFU….oh..sorry. I got a little carried away there.

Anywhoooz, I’ve decided to be nice today. Do you want to be nice too? I think you do. Here’s what ya do. Send us an e-mail HERE. All ya gotta do is, well, tell us that we’re pretty.

Oh, jokes.

No, seriously. Just e-mail us. One fan at random will win their very own 2MA t-shirt. Entries will be accepted until midway through tonight’s contest, so, uh, ya got a couple hours to get this shizz done. The winner will be announced at the conclusion of tonight’s game.

Please bring Black ‘n Red good luck…they surely need it after that embarrassment of a Game Six.

Josh, Scott, and I took a minute to answer some brief questions about the forthcoming Devils-’Canes series. We made predictions, we talked Raleigh, we even discussed colors! It surely cannot get better than that, right?

Check us out HERE!

Oh, and it so would have been better if we were allowed to, like, curse…check that, if, uh, Scott was allowed to curse. Yeah. Sorry about the buddy, damn journalism and its ethics ‘n stuff!

Oh yes, playoffs.

I may be crouched in the corner of a somewhat rank apartment surrounded by Hawks fans in the middle of the Windy City, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to just sit back and idly root for a team that hasn’t made the playoffs in, what, thirty-seven thousand years?

Sorry Amy.

Seriously, this is the time. Second season. It all counts now. One goal. Insert various quotes from the epic 300 here. I could go on, clearly.

I will not though.

We have a mission on hands, folks. While I may not be able to squeeze my butt into the spacious seats at the Rock (I’m working on it. Thanks Jenny Craig!), the boys and I will be bringing you the wonderful (or should I say colorful?) coverage you’ve all grown to know and love for the duration of the Devils’ quest at glory.

Check back for pregame pleas and post parading (I hope? Don’t ruin my dream, Carolina!) as second season starts now here at 2 Man Advantage.

Remember, Martin Brodeur might only have one fully functioning elbow at this point, but we all still have fully functioning fingers just waiting to receive the flow of creative juices from our fantastically full brains, and really — who could ask for more?

Yeah, I totally just went alliteration on all y’all. That’s how it’s done here.

But now, down to business.  Many people scored goals for the Devils over the weekend.  But, you all know that there’s just one that we’re obsessed with.  You’ve got ’til, eh…let’s say Thursday at 5 PM Eastern to get your ZubbieCounterContest Zubmissions in for the next go-round.  That’s nearly a full week since the goal, so I expect awesomeness!

Also, I mentioned the Trade Deadline up there.  Yes, we will be covering it.  I’m skipping class to bring it to you live, right here.  I’ll park myself in front of the computer around noon(ish), and won’t leave until all trades have been consumated (or 5 PM, whichever comes first – can’t skip all THREE classes, y’know).  Please join us for what will be a fun-filled afternoon of rumor-mongering, waiting, wishing, hoping, rueing, fearing, and in the end probably picking up a third-rate defenseman for a late-round draft pick.  Ah, trade deadline day.

I do whole heartedly apologize for my severe lack of postage this season.

You see, times have greatly changed in the life of Ms. Greuter, and as times change, well, so does everything else.

As of Saturday, I will be relocating to the Windy City to not become a Chicago Blackhawks fan.

(Albeit, I am somewhat concerned for the safety of my Jersey-plated car with Devils logo sticker on the rear windshield.)

I will still root on the boys, friends, do not worry. Heck, I’m even going to the Devils game out in Chicago in late March, proudly donning my Parise sweater as my newly converted Devils fan roommate will be wearing a Clemmensen sweater. (CLEMMY I MISS YOU ALREADY!)

Will I realistically be able to post much on 2MA now that I go to a land of White Sox wearin’, Cub lovin’ Hawk fanciers? Likely not. This is, however, the time when I’d like to thank my partners in crime for picking up the slack in my absence. Josh, Joe, Scott, and Steve — you guys are each awesome individuals and I am proud to have worked with such amazin’ fellas. And 2MA fans, you guys aren’t off the hook either! I’d like to thank each and every one of you for reading my absurd livecaps, laughing at my ridiculous images (do we see a pattern here?), and just for, well, you know, tuning into the site.

On this solemn note, I bid each of you adieu.

Much love and Zubbie goal counters,
Patricia

PS~ Keep in touch with me on the 2MA Facebook or on my personal Facebook page!

the Good:
– Doc… where to begin? The only announcer I’ve known in my whole life as Devils fan… the skill.. the humor.. the way to make you realize it’s only hockey, but yet it means everything in the same breath… I watch a lot of other games in a lot of other feeds… and no announcer in any sport can come up with a million different ways to say the same thing like Doc can… funny charming and maybe the game’s best, but most underrated ambassador PERIOD… I once had a brief chat with him post-game in the Meadowlands and we were talking about hockey in Florida (I was with Paige and she was still living down there then)… and he was saying one of the things that makes hockey to get attached to in non-hockey areas are some of the tough to pronounce names and if all the good players were named “Smith” or “Roberts” it would make the game easier to follow… hell I think all you need is to give someone a half hour to talk with Doc about the game and they’ll be fans for life!
– Brendan Shanahan… I admit I wasn’t sold on adding another old man to the roster… but man he BRINGS it on the shot, and he’s made the 4th line ridiculous, and that BOMB on the power play… holy hell…he even helped Holik get the Devils on the board… he’s slow and it leads to some bad penalties (but who doesn’t on that 4th line) but we have a useful 4th line that the way Shanny is going is gonna have a double digit goals by season’s end!
– Has any Devil before had a 2 goal night, 3 games in a row? I can’t think of it… not even during Gio’s crazy season
– Zach Parise… even when he’s not scoring (which is rare).. he just finds new and better ways to get the puck to the net!
– speaking of… ditto for Travis Zajac, I know he’s got post-hitter’s disease, but still.. damn, that third period deke!!!
– even though only 2 lines scored tonight it seemed the whole team was buzzing (well except the goalie), and it kinda showed when you look at the stats and hell they even got “the Golden Child” to whine her way into the penalty box, and boy did the fans have a field day with Cindy C. whining her way to the box!

the Bad:
– That second period… man someone put NyQuil in the Water cause everyone was falling asleep there, even the crowd… so much for it being Friday night eh? :p
– Why is the NHL Network on Doc Emrick night using the biased, pitiful and Colorado-level homer-ific level announcers to give the Devils/Penguins replays… last thing I wanna hear is the Penguin Pity Party… gimmie more Doc!!!!
– Scott Clemmensen can NOT NOT NOT start back to back games in a row EVER again.. no no not never! (Clemmy 3:16 says you jsut five-holed my ass??)
– Bobby Holik’s penalty count, while reputation based is getting absurd… thankfully the PK is doing SO WELL now it’s not a big issue but it could be down the road

the Funny!:
– I saw the best thing EVER waiting for warmups… if you’ve gone to enough games and get their early… I’m sure you’ve seen this dude… he’s one of the candy vendors (and seriously this guy deserves a million promotions he’s maybe the best and coolest vendor I’ve like EVER seen, and should be in a better job)… he comes out with this sales pitch to get you to buy his candy…. he walks up to a group of four couples sitting next to each other:
“Ladies…. Gentleman… the CANDYMAN IS HERE… and you know what’s coming guys, Valentine’s Day… no time like now to get started early on it… nothing says love like some CANDY for the ladies… *holds up some reese’s pieces*.. give her one of these and put it in here mouth… and she’ll wanna take you home NOW!!! Or here… give her a Swedish Fish… RIGHT ROM SWEDEN… Valentine’s Day love right here!!” (personally I hate the concept of Valentine’s Day, like I need a day to show how I love my woman just as much the other 364 days of the year… well maybe not last year… hell that’s why she got “best of luck in your future endeavors on like Feb 10!”

all rants aside this candyman dude needs to be selling season tickets…. “CMON.. why buy one game when you can sit here ALL SEASON… the SEASON TICKET MAN is here!!!” you know you’d buy from that!!!
– Parise Girls were back in 208… AAAAAHHHHH!!!!! (ok it’s an inside joke.. whatever!)
– Marc-Andre Fleury not only got caught napping by Langenbrunner with 30 seconds to go… but he apparently was dozing during Doc’s ceremony (what else do you expect from an ungrateful whiny Penguin-type)…but he was totally not paying attention and totally missed the start of the national anthem… the first verse goes off and he’s like OH SHIT… jumps off his post… flings his helmet off and turns around to face the flag… hilarity!!
– and I still swear that stick Shanny broke trying to clear the puck in the 3rd period… it looked like it was gonna go 10,000 feet in the air… land in the net area and sock Clemmy in the damn head… it almost did as it rolled and like a few other shots… beat Clemmy right in that 5-hole!