Happy Fourth of July!

I just wanted to take the time to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July! This year’s quite strange with home quarantines, social distancing, and pandemics left and right. Normally I would be barbecuing with family, shooting off fireworks even though I have cerebral palsy, and listening to Jimi Hendrix’s version of the Star-Spangled Banner at some point, but my usual traditions have been put on hold like everybody else, so I’m trying to make the best of the situation on America’s 244th birthday! Hope everyone else is too.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Lifetime Hockey Team

My all-time hockey team during my lifetime.

Starting Lineup:

C: Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton Oilers/Los Angeles Kings) *favorite position player growing up

LW: Brendan Shanahan (St. Louis Blues/Detroit Red Wings)

RW: Brett Hull (St. Louis Blues/Dallas Stars/Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Ray Bourque (Boston Bruins/Colorado Avalanche)

RD: Paul Coffey (Edmonton Oilers/Pittsburgh Penguins/Los Angeles Kings/Detroit Red Wings)

G: Patrick Roy (Montréal Canadians/Colorado Avalanche) *favorite Goalie growing up

Bench:

C Steve Yzerman (Detroit Red Wings)

C Jeremy Roenick (Chicago Blackhawks)

C Mario Lemieux (Pittsburgh Penguins)

LW/C: Mark Messier (Edmonton Oilers/New York Rangers)

LW: Vyacheslav Kozlov (Detroit Red Wings)

LW: Paul Kariya (Anaheim Ducks)

RW: Claude Lemieux (New Jersey Devils/Colorado Avalanche)

RW: Jaromír Jágr (Pittsburgh Penguins)

RW: Teemu Selanne (Anaheim Ducks)

LD: Nicklaus Lidstrom (Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Scott Stevens (New Jersey Devils)

RD: Chris Chelios (Montréal Canadians/Chicago Blackhawks/Detroit Red Wings)

RD: Scott Niedermayer (New Jersey Devils/Anaheim Ducks)

G: Martin Brodeur (New Jersey Devils)

Non-Roster Players (in case someone gets injured since rosters have expanded from the traditional 20 players above to 23):

C Joe Sakic (Colorado Avalanche)

LD: Brian Leetch (New York Rangers)

RD: Al MacInnis (Calgary Flames/St. Louis Blues)

Honorable Mention:

C: Mike Modano (Minnesota North Stars/Dallas Stars)

LW/C: Peter Forsberg (Philadelphia Flyers/Colorado Avalanche)

G: Dominik Hasek (Buffalo Sabres)

G: Ed Belfour (Chicago Blackhawks/Dallas Stars)

G: Grant Fuhr (Edmonton Oilers)

*Being born in July 1984, much like basketball, I didn’t have a home team that was tied to one city’s market being from Kansas City, MO. So I got games from all over the country. A lot of my favorite players were guys from the eighties, nineties, and 1^st decade of the 2000s. I adopted the NHL’s San Jose Sharks as my “home team” because at the time I was growing up, the minor league hockey team we did have in Kansas City was called the Blades, and they were the Sharks minor league affiliate. People have asked me since you’re a Kansas City Mavericks fan, which is the new minor league team since the Blades don’t exist anymore, are you a New York Islanders fan because the Mavericks are the Islanders minor league affiliate now? To be honest, no I’m not. But I’m always happy for the players who played for the Blades, and the Mavericks now, when they make it to the NHL because it’s hard to make it to any of the major sports leagues for all 5 sports in general. However, like most Missourians I rooted for the Blues when they finally made and won the Stanley Cup Finals 2018-19.

*My favorite teams in the Western Conference were the Colorado Avalanche, Detroit Red Wings, and Chicago Blackhawks. That Western Conference Final between the Avalanche and the Red Wings during the 95-96 season was rather epic. My team in the East was the New Jersey Devils by the way.

*I wrote down 5 Goaltenders because even though my favorite player was Wayne Gretzky, when I participated in hockey games during PE class, or recess, I always made a great Goalie sitting in my power chair. It was my way to participate. So most of the time, I analyzed the Goalkeeper because that was the position I usually played.

Brad Freeman's All-Time Legends Hockey Team

My all-time legends hockey team:

Starting Lineup:

C: Jean Beliveau (Montréal Canadians)         

LW: Bobby Hull (Chicago Blackhawks)

RW: Gordie Howe (Detroit Red Wings)

LD: Bobby Orr (Boston Bruins)

RD: Eddie Shore (Boston Bruins)

G: Georges Vezina (Montréal Canadians)

Bench:

C: Elmer Lach (Montréal Canadians)

C: Stan Mikita (Chicago Blackhawks)

C: Phil Esposito (Boston Bruins)

LW: Toe Blake (Montréal Canadians)

LW: Bernie Geoffrion (Montréal Canadians)                         

LW: Frank Mahovlich (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RW: Maurice Richard (Montréal Canadians)

RW: Guy Lafleur (Montréal Canadians)

RW: Andy Bathgate (New York Rangers)

LD: Doug Harvey (Montréal Canadians)

LD: King Clancy (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RD: Tim Horton (Toronto Maple Leafs)

RD: Larry Robinson (Montréal Canadians)

G: Terry Sawchuk (Detroit Red Wings)

Non-Roster Players (in case someone gets injured since rosters have expanded from the traditional 20 players above to 23):

C: Henri Richard (Montréal Canadians)

LD: Red Kelly (Detroit Red Wings)

RD: Brad Park (Boston Bruins)

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there! …And sometimes, those single moms that have to play the role of both parents. :)

Happy Flag Day!

Today we pay homage to 1 of our nation’s greatest symbols. The flag of the United States of America, itself. Where the red and white stripes represent the 13 colonies that began our country’s history and the 50 stars denote each of the individual states in our current union.

On a side note, I support any country around the world having a day to commemorate its own flag, and taking pride in its own history.

I’m looking at you other 195 to 249 countries around the world, depending on your definition of a country, to show your pride.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day everybody! Today is a day to remember anybody we’ve lost really. But it’s an especially important day to remember those servicemen and women of the Army, Army Air Core, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard, past and present, that gave the ultimate sacrifice of their lives, in-service to our country. A lot of the times they give up not only their physical well-being, but mental and emotional stability as well, if their wounds aren’t physical, so every day Americans can live in freedom. For all those committed to the cause of liberty, I say thank you!

What’s Everyone Doing During Their Quarantine To Assault Life?

Just checking in… Making sure everyone’s doing okay. So what’s everyone doing during their quarantine to make the ultimate assault on life that I keep talking about?