Dishy Goalie Monday- Dan Ellis

It's trade deadline day and here on DGM we're going to focus on one of our favourite casualties. On February 24th Dan Ellis was traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Curtis McElhinney (who TPA waived and was picked up by OTT today).

Ellis who is now the starter in Anaheim as Jonas Hiller overcomes

a case of vertigo, visited SW Florida during the Lightnings' team trip.

The Lightning came to the Naples/Ft. Myers area and managed to squeeze practice into a hectic schedule of golf and team bonding.

Practice yielded some delicious photos of the bendy Ellis.

Now Ellis has had some issues in the past with social media, but overall I think he gets an unnecessarily bad rap. Seriously, how can you hate on that!

Wednesday Pick Me Up- Niklas Backstrom

I already had a post in mind for this weeks DGM when Niklas Backstrom had to be completely ridiculous and change all of my plans. So this week I've slipped in a little extra love. This post will focus on the delicious Backstrom and possibly the prettiest save of the year.

So here we go....

I always feel weird introducing NHL guys, it seems like everyone already knows the information, but I like to give a little background, it helps with the imagery.

Niklas Backstrom is from Helsinki, Finland and stands just over 6 feet tall (without skates). During Hockey Day in America Backstrom and the Minnesota Wild went up against the Detroit Red Wings and Backstrom came up huge!

and a few more goodies to start the day off right....

Those deep penetrating eyes are so intense I swoon.

I think I'm too young for hot flashes, but good lord.

Wasn't that scrumptious? A good little pick me up on hump day!

Dishy Goalie Monday- Zane Kalemba

My Dishy Goalie Monday post for this week was inspired by all my friends recently rattling on about baseball and its farm system. They pointed out that the hockey system is complicated (who knew). We call people up, lend them out, assign them elsewhere, and send them down. In the minor leagues the movement can give you whip lash and for many fans its easier on the heart and the head to not get attached to any one player.

Especially since sometimes we simply release them and the fans are left wondering, "now what"?

With that in mind it is always nice when you hear good news about the players who left you wondering. Here we have Zane Kalemba, a player whose travels have crossed the country.

The first time I encountered Kalemba was during his time with the Reading Royals of the ECHL. It was the Royals vs the Florida Everblades at Germain arena and Kalemba stood out the moment his skates hit the ice. What was so special you ask? Well the answer lies in his pads.

Kalemba was still sporting his collegiate gear, a bright orange colour befitting his four year career at Princeton.

Personally, I found them endearing, but Swamphockey wasn't as big of a fan.

Shortly after the trip to Florida, Kalemba got bounced around once again and found himself in a tricky situation. He ended up in Stockton, California playing for the Thunder, who after a season ending injury to Alex Stalock and the call up of Tyson Sexsmith had a spot to fill for a quality goaltender.

Zane Kalemba got a chance when starter Bryan Pitton got injured during a game versus the Ontario Reign. Since then the fans in Stockton have welcomed him whole heartedly.

Photos provided courtesy of @icebaby20.

I'm sure new gear is on the way, but for now I will continue to smile every time I see these fan photos.

Friday Quickie

Hmmmmm. Might have a post for next week brewing. Yummmm.

Dishy Goalie Monday- Marc Andre Fleury

Since Valentine's Day is characterized by chocolate and flowers, G5H has decided to feature the flower of our hearts (or some of our hearts), Marc Andre Fleury.

If you don't know Fleury, he is the #1 net minder for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While I'm not personally a fan of the Penguins, even I have to admit that he makes some beautiful saves and if HBO's 24/7 is any indication, he is quite charming.



There is all sorts of sexiness going on right here!

Even if he did stop AO, I forgive him simply for the splits.


And finally some funny moments compiled on Youtube by HockeyGoalie3129 .

Friday Quickie

Because sometimes you don't need words, and honestly, I'm of the opinion that you can never have too much Bobby Goepfert in your life.



If you missed the previous post on him, you can see it here.

How You Doin?

I have no idea why I love when goalies squirt themselves with water.



Actually, that's a lie I know exactly why.



That's Black Hawks prospect Joe Palmer by the way. He's currently playing for the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. As you can see from this interview he did last year he's a pretty hard working guy. He's also a good guy at heart, taking time off of his busy schedule to help hand out coats to the homeless.



And we just can't forget that he's also kind enough to preform a very important service to all the female hockey fans that go to his games.



Sigh. Yes. He. Does.

Dishy Goalie Monday- Double Feature

Alrighty, it's Monday again and while many dread Monday's, I look forward to it because Mondays are where I get to stare at sexy goaltenders and its for legitimate reasons. So this Monday, we have not one subject to ogle, but two.

This week at Going Five Hole we are featuring the goal tending duo of Marc Cheverie and Chet Pickard from the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

So you may ask yourself, what earned these two beauties a feature on G5H? Well there is the obvious reason (soon to follow), but I have a slightly more sinister motivation. Both goalies recently joined Twitter.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to #35 @Chevdawgy .

Cheverie is listed at 6'2" and 185, the Nova Scotian pays homage to his draft team, the Florida Panthers on the side of his lid.

Probably my all time favorite stretch. Every time I see it I get an inappropriate for public feeling.

Next up we have the Nashville Predators 2008 18th overall draft pick, #31 @CPickard37.

Chet Pickard uses all 6'3", 216lbs to full advantage and really fills his crease.

Pickard is new to twitter, but is already using it to raise money for Hockey Players 4 Kids, a charity that the Cyclones are active with every season.

Wowzers, they have some great moves and they're charitable. You now have an excuse to follow some very yummy goalies, cause its a you know, for a good cause.

*All action shots are courtesy of @Swamphockey.

Quite a Conundrum

Every once in a while you come to a point in your life where you're faced with a question.





Meet Chris Carrozzi. As you can see, he's quite the bendy fellow. He's an Atlanta Thrashers prospect currently playing in the ECHL. He has a decent 12-10-1-4 record, not the best in the league, but not the worst.



The problem? He appears to be the owner of the ugliest gear on Earth.



 

So, ladies (and fellas if you're hanging around), what do you think? Can a goalies  bend-abiltiy overcome some truly horrendous taste? Or can nothing overcome the combination of burgundy and Vegas gold?