Quote of the Day/Week- Ingmar Bergman

Today, we continue to quote people associated with the 16 countries in the Euro 2012 Cup being played in Poland and Ukraine. And, we are going to quote the late, great film director Ingmar Bergman (1918-2007) who was from Uppsala. Bergman was known for many outstanding cinematic ventures, including "The Seventh Seal," "Persona" and "Fanny and Alexander."

The Swedish soccer team has the daunting task of facing a star-studded English soccer team in Kiev, Ukraine, tomorrow. The Swedes are in a virtual must-win situation.

Here is Bergman's quote:

"The theatre is like a faithful wife. Film is the great adventure_ the costly, exciting mistress."

SIDEBAR: Since we are popular in Slovenia, we thought we should congratulate the Los Angeles Kings for winning their first ever NHL Stanley Cup titles by defeating the New Jersey Devils four games to two.

Though soccer and basketball are more popular than hockey in Slovenia, Anze Kopitar, 24, who was one of the key reasons for the Kings winning the cup has made the sport more popular in the former Yugoslav republic. Kopitar is also the first Slovenian national to hoist the Stanley Cup.http://www.losangeleskingsinsider.com

Quote of the Week- Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux, 46, is a Canada hockey legend who originally hails from Montreal. He is the only NHL player who has won Stanley Cups as a player and as an owner. Lemieux led the Pittsburg Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. As owner, he saw his Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2009 thanks to hockey star Sidney Crosby.

Last night, the Penguins defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3.

Lemieux had to retire from the game prematurely due to cancer in 1997. But, he came back to the ice in 2000 before finally retiring for good in 2006.

Here is his quote:

"I didn't speak English until I came to Pittsburgh."

Quote of the Week- Mark Twain

Today, we conclude with our month-long quips from cultural radicals and subversives from Mark Twain. Though he is considered a mainstream author today, there have been various times when Twain's works have been considered controversial. The use of the n-word vernacular that was used quite often at the time of publication (1885) of Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has caused a stir at times for some local schoolboards even though no could rationally suggest that Twain was a racist.

The Mark Twain House in Hartford, Conn., is among the most popular tourist attractions in the Nutmeg State.

Here is Twain's quote:

"A person who won't read has advantages over a person who can't read."

SIDEBAR ONE: Though I am a Democrat, David Frum, a former speechwriter for George W. Bush, is among my favorite politically conservative pundits as he talks in terms of broad pictures as opposed to the likes of Rush Limbaugh who today proclaimed that Barack Obama 'wanted Hurricane Irene to be a huge disaster.'

Of course, like most liberals, my favorite conservative pundit is (of course!) David Brooks, but Frum, who is also keen and objective in his commentary, is a close second.

Yesterday, Frum tweeted the following regarding how Hurrican Irene affected his weekend: "Side benefit from Irene: taking my daughter to see Declaration and Constitution at National Archive with no line at all. Unprecedented."

SIDEBAR TWO: Speaking of Hartford, I actually saw a Hartford Whalers bumper sticker in Roanoke, Va., today. This was interesting to me because the Hartford Whalers have not existed since the team left for the Tarheel State and became the Carolina Hurricanes.

As the 'Canes, the team won the Stanley Cup in 2006, which actually made some people in North Carolina pay more attention to hockey than NASCAR-racing. But, of course, since racing legend Richard Petty is from Randleman, NC, and the late Dale Earnhardt hailed from Kannapolis, NC, that didn't really last. Of course, their offspring is involved in the sport as well.

But, I found out some interesting information while googling the Hartford Whalers. The current minor league hockey team in Hartford renamed themselves the Connecticut Whale last year to honor the Hartford Whalers. And, ironically, the team's previous name was the Hartford Wolf Pack, which is the same nickname for North Carolina State University in Raleigh, where the Carolina Hurricanes now play (they temporarily played in Greensboro).

The Hartford Whalers existed from 1979-1997. And, they left, in part, because the likes of then-governor of Connecticut John G. Rowland, a Republican, didn't want to spend tax payer money on a new hockey arena for the team.

But, there is still an active group that wants to bring the Hartford Whalers back in one way or another (perhaps having a new team with that name, such as what happened with the Cleveland Browns in the NFL). And, The Whalers Watchers, as they are called, will meet in Hartford on Sept. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

As for the Connecticut Whale, they have their home opener on Oct. 15

Kudos to Michigan Hockey

We want to take a moment to congratulate the University of Michigan which reached the Frozen Four, to be held in St. Paul, Minn., from April 7-9, by defeating Colorado College 2-1 in St. Louis over the weekend.

The Wolverines join Notre Dame, the University of North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth in the semi-finals. UND is perhaps most known for having the most politically incorrect nickname in college sports as they are the Fighting Sioux. Minn-Duluth is simply one of many schools, including the University of Georgia (which to our knowledge does not have an official hockey team) with the Bulldogs nickname.

For Michigan, one of my late father's alma maters, the goals came from Scooter Vaughan and Lee Moffie while goalie Shawn Hunwick made 21 saves.

This will mark the 24th Frozen Four for the Wolverines.

Notre Dame, Michigan's traditional football rival (the two will not play each other in first round of the Frozen Four), also won by a 2-1 score as they defeated the University of New Hampshire on the Wilcats' home ice.

The goals for the Fighting Irish who will next face the Bulldogs came from Stephen Johns and Bill Maday. Notre Dame's goalie Mike Johnson made a very impressive 37 saves.

North Dakota beat Denver 6-1 in Green Bay, Wisc.

Minnesota-Duluth won its game over Yale (another team with the Bulldogs nickname) by a 5-3 score in front of many supportive fans for the other team in Bridgeport, Conn.

Jack Connolly, the center for Minn-Duluth, has a blog in which he made the following statement:

"Well Bulldog fans, we went to Bridgeport and accomplished our goal."

We wish he would have added: "No pun intended."

Things We Learned on Twitter Today- Bakersfield Condors are Not Extinct

Does going to a minor league hockey game at 10:30 a.m. sound like a really cool thing to you? (or at least, a great way to get away from work!). Well, that is what happened today in Bakersfield, Calif., as the home team Bakersfield Condors beat the visiting Victoria Salmon Kings (love that name!) from British Columbia (western Canada) by a 3-1 score.

The game, which is-get this- between two EAST COAST HOCKEY LEAGUE teams (and we wonder why ninth graders are more hip with geography), was part of a Field Trip Day Game, and it did manage to lure 5,051 fans to the arena.

The Condors are the defending Pacific Division champions and this year, players from teams like the The Wheeling Nailers in Wheeling, WVa., will travel across the country to come play in the ECHL All-Star Game to be held early next year in Bakersfield.

We also learned that Defenseman Jason Lepine of the Condors leads the ECHL with assists from a defenseman with nine. And, the team's goalie Josh Tardjman (we have no idea if this is him pictured above) is serving a six-game suspension, but we have absolutely no idea why!

We also want to take this chance to bring in folks who would ordinarily never visit this blog and we thought there was no better way than to arbitrarily mention some of the trending topics on Twitter for today.

So, perhaps we can give yet more kudos to Prince William and Kate Middleton on their engagement. Congratulate Tony Parker on his split with some hot tv actress (we're just kidding).

Thinking of a good Christmas for your spolied brats, well how about a video game called Playing God, which will assuredly sell well at the Target stores in Tulsa, Oklahoma. And, lastly, everyone is talking about some movie called "Cowboys and Aliens." Yeah, we have no earthly idea what it's about either!

50 Beers from Around the World_ Molson (Canada)

Molson Beer is the supposedly the third most admired thing in Canada after hockey and Celine Dion.

The brew was started in Montreal way back in 1786.

It now partnered with the American brewing giant Coors, which started as a family operation in Golden, Colo.

"True Canadian Taste" is the beer's current logo.

The product was featured often in Bob and Doug McKenzie skits in the 1980s comedy show "SCTV."

High School of the Week- Red River HS (Grand Forks, N.Dakota)

This may very well mark the first time that we've had an entry about North Dakota, a state we've never been to!

But, Red River High School in Grand Forks, N.Dak., is our High School of the Week.

Kim Slovtsue is the principal of RRHS, which has about 1,330 students. The school was established in 1967. And, the school's nickname The Rough Riders was in honor of Teddy Roosevelt (pictured here).

Unlike most schools in my two states of Virginia and North Carolina, RRHS offers hockey as one of its school sports for both boys and girls alike. The school won the state championship in boys' hockey last year.

"The Rider's Digest" is the school newspaper.

Emily Wong, a freshman gymnast for The University of Nebraska, is among the school's recent alumni.

SIDEBAR: Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, NC, a suburb of Greensboro and High Point, which was a previous High School of the Week, won their home game over Western Guilford HS by a 25-17 score on Friday night. The Flying Tigers is on the road against Page High School from Greensboro.

SIDEBAR TWO: My good friend and fellow blogger Chris Knight has reported that an Elvis Presley impersonator went into a Sheetz gas station in Eden, NC, on Aug. 27. We have idea if he sang "Viva Las Vegas" for customers or not!

High School of the Week- Wasilla High School (Alaska)

Yes, we once again get to make fun of Sarah Palin as we profile Wasilla High School in Wasilla, Alaska, as our "High School of the Week." This is the same school that her daughter Bristol Palin who seems to disdain the spotlight as much as Paris Hilton enjoys it went to school.

Dwight Probasco is the principal of Wasilla High, which promotes abstitence awareness, according to Wikipedia.

The nickname for Wasilla HS is The Warriors, which is also the school mascot.

Wasilla HS has worked to raise awareness of groundwater issues in Alaska. Teens Against Tobacco Use and The Thespian Society are among the school's clubs.

And, yes, they do in fact actually have a hockey team!

Alex Ovechkin on the Washington Capitals' Loss

Many of us who even casually follow the National Hockey League thought this might actually be the year when the Washington Capitals, a team that typically wins during the regular season but fails to advance far in the playoffs, might actually hoist the Stanley Cup.

But, the team lost in the opening round to the eight-seeded Montreal Canadiens, a franchise that has won more cups than other team in the league.

The Capitals' star player and Russian Olympian Alex Ovechkin, who may still very well be named the league's MVP as the team had the NHL's best regular season record said he was simply devastated that the team lost to Montreal 4-3 in a best of seven series. The Caps also had a 3-1 advantage before the Canadiens won three straight to win the series.

Ovechkin told nhl.com that this would be a proverbial period of adjustment for him:

"When you lose, you try to forget about it, but when lose in a game like this, it's pretty hard to say something."