Hockey Awards and Cigars

Yesterday I wrote “…if there’s ANY justice at all in this world, Nick Lidstrom will win his fifth Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman.” Justice:

TORONTO -- There is little doubt that Detroit’s Nicklas Lidstrom is the best defenseman of his generation and, perhaps, on his way to becoming the best ever.

The 37-year-old won his fifth Norris Trophy, awarded by the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association to the League’s best defenseman, at the 2007 NHL Award Show here at the Elgin Theater on Thursday night.

This time, Lidstrom beat out a pair of Stanley Cup champions in the Anaheim duo of Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger. Niedermayer, who finished second to Lidstrom this year, won the 2004 Norris Trophy to break Lidstrom’s three-year stranglehold on the award. Pronger, meanwhile, has the 2000 Norris Trophy on his resume. That year, Pronger edged out Lidstrom, who was the runner-up.

But, beating quality opposition is nothing new to Lidstrom, who ranked third among all players in ice time this year (27:29), led all defenseman with a plus-40 rating and was fifth among defenseman in scoring with 62 points, including a whopping 49 assists.

Those gaudy numbers leave even his stiffest competitors doffing their helmets to Lidstrom.

I missed the awards show, but I was NOT alone. Millions— well, hundreds of thousands; this is hockey we’re talking about —of US fans also missed the show, and it wasn’t OUR fault. Frickin’ Versus. It’s hard to imagine ESPN screwing things up like that. But in their defense…it was “technical problems” that canceled last night’s live broadcast. That said, Versus could have run a banner across the bottom of the screen telling the legions of NHL fans tuning in that there would be a tape-delay rebroadcast (Film at 11:00!!) of the Awards show. But there wasn’t, ergo: Screw-Up.

Oh, btw: Sid the Kid wins the Hart Trophy (league MVP, as determined by hockey writers), the Pearson Trophy (league MVP, as determined by the players), and the Art Ross Trophy (points leader for the year); Brodeur wins the Vezina (best goalie), Alain Vigneault of the Vancouver Canucks won the Jack Adams (best coach). A list of all the winners is available at nhl.com, natch. Crosby cleaned up, didn’t he? The guy really IS that good. Pittsburgh fans are in for a long run of great hockey, much like Edmonton back in their salad days of the early 80’s. Think “Gretzky.”

Other hockey news…Can a 42-year-old goalie find success and happiness as the league’s oldest goalie in the modern era? Stay tuned this coming year to find out, because The Dominator is BACK. I think that’s pretty danged good news. Oh, Chelios recently signed a one-year deal, too. Get ready for more…much more…BS about Detroit being “old.” Until they win a lot, then it becomes “experience.”

So…Lou and I have had an exchange in the comments to my cigar post— all on the up-and-up and civil, of course — about cigars. The thrust of her comment was her father-in-law smoked cigars, constantly, and he and those around him reeked of cigar smoke. Which set me to thinking. My female acquaintance, whom I recently introduced to the pleasures of a fine cigar, had similar thoughts, i.e., “cigars stink.”

Au contraire, mes amis: cheap cigars stink. Good cigars, of which there are many, are aromatic and shouldn’t drive anyone from the room where they’re being smoked, with the possible exception of allergy sufferers. Cheap cigars— like say White Owls, Phillies Blunts, Swishers, Hav-A-Tampas, and the like—will drive me out of the room, and I love cigars. That said, I take my cigars outdoors. Smoke still fouls the environment, no matter how good it originally smells, by getting into and on every-flippin’-thing. I’m still cleaning residual cigarette smoke off the walls and such in El Casa Móvil De Pennington, and it’s been six months since I gave those nasty little buggers up.

One more thing about cigars…shopping for fine cigars is a wonderful experience. I had my first such experience while living in London in 1980 and stumbled into it quite by accident. The Second Mrs. Pennington and I were strolling down Jermyn Street, indulging our fantasies about bespoke shoes, clothing, expensive jewelry (on her part), and such when we happened by Davidoff’s, which is just off Jermyn Street. A wild hair overcame me and we went in…to a revelation. I’d never, ever, seen a humidor room before. And by room, I mean a glass-enclosed space the size of a small living room or a large master bedroom, filled floor-to-ceiling with cigars…wonderful cigars…most of which were Cuban. You cannot imagine the wonderful, woodsy, spicy aromas that filled that room, unless you’ve experienced it. As I said: revelation.

TSMP and I left the store with a number of cigars (Cuban, of course, there being no embargo in Ol' Blighty), of which she said “You’re not smoking those around me!” She changed her tune after I lit the first one, because, as I said: they smell wonderful. Every time I was in that part of The City after that I stopped in and bought a few cigars, in addition to exploring other, similar shops…of which there are many. I wonder if that’s still true, in this politically correct day and age.

And finally…I found a neat tobacconist in San Antonio when I went there last fall, and I do believe I blogged about it. The shop is a wonderful little store with a modest but adequate humidor room (about the size of a large walk-in closet) and a good selection of my favorite brands. I wish that place were closer to me, but, alas, it isn’t. These days I order my cigars off the internet, but that’s because (a) there aren’t any (real) tobacconists within 150 miles of P-Town and (b) I know what I like/want…so buying isn’t a problem. But I miss being able to “shop” a good humidor room in the company of folks who know and love the product. Who knows what I’m missing?

Today’s Pic: YrHmblScrb, All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go. Would you believe that everything I needed for 17 days was crammed, stuffed, and otherwise jammed into the two containers you see on the back of the bike? Well, it’s almost true, Gentle Reader. I did ship a box to SN1’s place containing good slacks, dress shoes, a decent shirt and a sport coat…all for the graduation. It just wouldn’t have done to appear at a function like that dressed like this…now would it?

Cache La Poudre river canyon, May 21, 2007.

Update: An interesting essay on the humidification of cigars in Britain...if you're interested. With illustrations!