BULLS LOSE A CLOSE ONE TO THE STEELHEADS

Breaking News! (Friday, 9:50am)

 

I just heard that Sacha Guimond has been called up by the Worcester Sharks. So, the Bulls will even need more help on defense. That and they're waiting to hearing judgement on a hit Langdon gave to a Steelhead player. Cross your collective fingers!!!

 



 



 

It was Thirsty Thursday at the Barn, meaning Two-For-One beers, but they're not supposed to say that, so they get around it by saying they have beer specials on Thursdays.

Captain Justin Bowers

The Bulls played the Idaho Steelheads, who are third in the Western Conference, behind the Alaska Aces and Ontario Reign. They're a very good team, so playing them would be a true guide to how the team is doing.

Jonathan Lessard

The was an exciting and close battle all the way through. The Bulls lost a close one at 2-1. Taylor Nelson is doing so well at goal tending. He had 29 saves as Peter Sivak scored the teams only goal. That doesn't tell the story however. Offense and defense were on the job last night and it was so close, none of the three goals scored were easy ones. No one got away with a cheap goal. One of my friends said this was as close to an NHL game as he has seen all season.

Taylor Nelson

Scot Langdon does what he does best...he fought. And what a fight it was! it was probably the best bout all season and helped get the team going, although he was tossed from the game because of it.

The team tried their best, despite a couple adversities. The flu has hit epidemic proportions all over the country and also hit the Bulls locker room. Hans Benson and Dean Ouellet were both suffering pregame and hooked into IVs.

Joe Tolles

Don't forget that the Bulls have lost some key players. Offense is off by losing both Daniil Tarasov and Andrwe Crescenzi. Those are big skates to fill. The rest of the lines will have to work a bit harder to do this. I also hear we should get a couple more players shortly. So stay tuned.

The crowds are a bit rowdier, a little louder and always fun on Thursdays. If you ever wanted a wild night AND wanted to get in a hockey game, I would suggest a Thirsty Thursday game.

Next game is Sunday afternoon against the Bakersfield Condors. The Bulls also have a team signing at Serramonte Shopping Mall Saturday from 1pm until 2pm.

GO BULLS!

BULLS WEEKLY WITH BRYAN HINCE

Personable Goaltender Bryan Hince was Jason Lockhart's guest at Bulls Weekly, held at Pedro's Cantina. Bryan is likable to say the least. His chatty, relaxed nature is genuine and came across well in Jason's broadcast. He likes it in San Francisco and with his past goaltending record, we like having him here. He was 5-0 with the Greenville Road Warriors in 2011-12 and 3-1 in the same season with the Idaho Steelheads.

Bryan Hince

Also tonight, the Voice of the Idaho Steelheads, Will Hoenike stopped in and talked about hockey, Idaho and New Years Eve in Vegas. Yeah, it was THAT kind of a night at Pedro's.

Will Hoenike & Jason

Jason had some surprises up his sleeve as well. He does a superb job of tossing new things into the show, and they work very well. Tonight, he introduced Cup Toss! You chug your cup of beer, then you have to toss the cup over on its end. Needless to say there was a bit of discrepancy over who won and we'll leave this for late night bar discussions later...

Cup Toss!

Who won? TBD....

Now, aren't you sorry you didn't stop by? Next Bulls Weekly is next Wednesday. BE THERE!

The Bulls also added defenseman Joe Tolles who last played with the Kalamazoo Wings. We welcome Joe and hope he likes it here in The City.

Bulls play the Steelheads tomorrow night at the Barn! Beers are 50% off!!

GO BULLS!!!

Sad Day, Passings, Thoughts….

I was not in the best mood this morning when I got up. I had a case of insomnia last night. I woke up every hour on the hour it seemed, having very vivid dreams when I could get to sleep. I’m not sure if it’s the winter doldrums, stress or leftover disappointments of the holidays, but these last few days haven’t been the greatest and my downtime is feeling it.

Maybe it was a foreshadowing of the news of the day. The first thing I heard was a tweet that former Shark and NHL career journeyman Dominic Moore’s wife Katie had passed away from liver cancer. She had suffered a long time. Liver cancer is quite painful and more harsh than most. She battled it like a warrior for as long as she could.

We’ve all been affected by cancer. It is our shadow. We can try to run from cancer, but it follows us. We can make our lives as healthy and safe as we possibly can, but that doesn’t mean that those close to us will do the same. So, this horrible disease is still next to us, following, following, ready to strike.

My mother suffered for many, many years before she passed with cancer. It first appeared as breast cancer, but then after a two-year remission, appeared in her back, then spread everywhere. It could not be stopped before it took her life. Like Dominic, my father was at her side the whole seven years, doing what he could, loving her, supporting her, comforting her.

I am sure you all have stories. Heartbreaking ones. My Twitter friend Matty suffers terribly every day. It’s hard to hear how much he hurts and how much he has to go through. He loves hockey so much and if you use Twitter, he would love new friends and can be added at: @hockeyKOsCancer and @TeamMattyBear.

Word about Katie Moore’s death passed quickly through the Twitter lines and soon every hockey fan was sad. Dominic Moore, as a utility player, was used to switching teams, doing what he needed to do where it was needed, was loved by many, so he had many writers and fans sending their sympathies. We all feel bad because we all know what it’s like. Every one of us knows.

We cannot stop fighting this enemy. I don’t care what it takes, how long it takes, but it will be stopped. We will stop it. Fuck cancer.

For some more sad news, due to the end of the NHL lockout, we lost a couple more players today. Michael Tam and Daniil Tarasov are going back to Worcester Sharks. Tam I expected and I knew Tarasov would have, but I didn’t want to believe it. I wanted the Bulls to keep him! We need him!

The bright side of this dreary, sad day is that we’re getting Jonathan Lessard back. So, that’s pretty cool. I know we’ll get more new players and probably a couple more who have already been here. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something.

And yes, the sun will come out tomorrow. Blah, Blah, Blah. Save it. I’m not in the mood…..

Remember Bulls Weekly tomorrow night with Dean Ouellet at Pedros and the Bulls take on Idaho Thursday at the Barn!

GO BULLS!

THOUGHTS ON THE LOCKOUT AND FANS

This morning I woke up to hear there is a tentative agreement between the owners and players. About time. No, it’s way past about time and it’s into why the &*%^ did this take so long time? Unlike the teaming throngs, I’m not jumping for joy. This whole thing has me as disgusted as I am at the government is at being unable to solve their problems.

I refuse to point fingers at who is wrong or right. That’s not my place in this blog. All I can say is that this whole horrific experience has hurt FANS. And I will never forget this.

No, you didn’t help me find minor league hockey, I was already here. But, you made me realize that the minor leagues, unlike the NHL, cares about ME, the FAN. YOU, the NHL, do not. Whether you are an owner or player, you forgot who we fans are once you got to that level. 

So, maybe you think that we fans will ALL rush back to watch NHL games, pay whatever inflated ticket price is being asked for the rest of this non-season. And a majority of them may do this. I will be one of those who won’t.

On one level, the lockout helped the minor leagues because it brought a lot of fans to leagues like the ECHL and the AHL. I hope those fans who have been going to Bulls games won't rush off to Sharks games or other NHL teams' games and forget about the smaller teams who have been there for them. This would make me sad. The ECHL is NOT a replacement league, it is its own league and a better one, in my opinion. 

Sure, I’ll watch the playoffs. I may get excited, but it won’t be with the same gusto I have always had. I will not spend ONE DIME on the NHL this season. I certainly will NOT go to any Sharks games this season. Next season, we’ll see. Bulls games are so much more fun that I don’t know if I want to go unless they play the Rangers. The one game I wanted to see the Sharks play this year which was versus the Rangers, was wiped out due to the Lockout, so I don’t care much about the rest of this season.

We fans work hard for our money. We go to jobs that many of us don’t particularly like just so we can attend hockey games, buy hockey sweaters and have things we like. I see no reason to waste our money on teams and people who take us for granted.

But of you disagree you are indeed free to choose and I’ll hold no ill will towards anyone who rushes back to the NHL. Good on ya! Just don’t forget about the SF Bulls. They always love you!

Remember Bulls Weekly is January 9^th, this Wednesday. Jason always has a Bulls player as a guest, and this week it’s a very cool player. This is going to be a great show! Be at Pedro’s, just across from AT&T Park. Starts at 6pm.

The Bulls play the Idaho Steelheads Thursday,  January 10^th at the Barn!

GO BULLS!

BULLS CLIP EAGLES WINGS

Some say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth. Not for me. Disneyland is a place where you may go to once or twice a year; where everything is pre-formed, not real, made up to pretend to be something else. That’s not my style. I like real life. I don’t need to pay a ton of money once or twice a year at a prefabbed amusement park to make me feel better.  No matter what kind of a day I’ve had, no matter how the world has treated me, as soon as I step through the old, creaky, dented front doors of the Barn, those worries slip away and I am at home. I am with friends.

Dean Ouellet

We’re about halfway through the season now and fans who started this inaugural season have made new friends, know who the season ticket holders in their rows are, can name the Bulls staff and most of the Barn vendors. This is one of the benefits of the minor league! Sure it’s small, but it’s also more intimate and friendly.

Kris Belan

Last night’s second game in this two-game stand against the Colorado Eagles was remarkable. We won this game 4-3 in a high-energy match. The entire team was ready. Peter Sivak scored two goals, leading the team. He was part of the Bulls most deadly line: Peter Sivak, Dean Ouellet & Danill Tarasov. Can you say SPEED? I would highly recommend using this line again, it’s nearly unstoppable. Dean Oullet scored the first goal for the Bulls. The second was by Rob Kwiet, the last two by Sivak.

Salute to the fans after the win

Taylor Nelson was amazing. Some of his saves were so good, I had to blink to make sure he really got the puck. He has stepped up and proven that he has the cojones to do the job. Bravo, Mr. Nelson, you were awesome.

In offense, defense and even face offs, where the team has had previous problems, the Bulls improved. The whole team played well. There were two fights. The first was Hans Benson in the First Period, he won. The second fight came in the Third Period by Scott Langdon who lost.

The REAL Bull!

It was Country & Western night at the Barn so many fans wore their western wear. I wore my red cowboy boots. The Bulls gave away orange foam cowboy hats as well. They had real cowboys performing rope tricks and a real bull. He was huge but seemed pretty docile. And, speaking of cojones, the team hosted a Rocky Mountain Oyster eating contest.

Rawhide with Me & My BOOTS!!!

The crowd energy was excellent and meant a lot to the team. We have a really good thing going with this team, let’s keep it up!

Two events coming up next week:

SF Bulls Weekly on Wednesday, January 9^th at Pedros. Jason Lockhart will have another Bulls player as his guest. It's directly across from AT&T Park. Starts at 6, be there!

Next game is January 10^th against the Idaho Steelheads.

GO BULLS!

BULLS WEEKLY FEATURING TORREY MITCHELL

It was a rowdy crowd at Pedro's Cantina tonight for Jason and his special guest Torrey Mitchell. Torrey who spent five years with the San Jose Sharks and is now with the Minnesota Wild is a local favorite. He's temporarily with the Bulls, as you all know from my last blog, he made his debut last night.

Torrey Mitchell & Coach Curcio

He's a great player and with this short stay, he'll get a little more attention than he's used to in the NHL, especially with the Wild and big paycheck guys like Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. So, it's nice we can give it to him. Jason with his excellent interview talents was as sharp as ever for an entertaining hour and Torrey was just as equally as great as a guest. After the live online hour, Torrey settled into a side table with his wife and Coach Curcio and his family and played a fun and loud game of bar dice.

Torrey & Jason

After the hour, there was an interview of him on CSN television playing silently on one of the TV screens while a college bowl game was on the other multiple screens.

Torrey was only too happy to talk to everyone, take as many pictures and sign as many items as everyone wanted. He's intelligent, funny, personable and a gentleman. He's an all-around great person. You really should have been there.

Andrea & her Drink!! 

Before Bulls Weekly, I was able to talk to Coach Curcio about last night's game. I told him I was so proud of the team, even with the Shoot Out loss, especially Goalie Taylor Nelson. He worked so hard and played so well. Curcio agreed. "He earned the right to play Friday night," Curcio said.

That's what I really like about Curcio. He doesn't favor anyone. He plays who's playing well. Each player has to EARN their way. That is the ONLY way to run a team, in my book. I respect that.

Friday day is Western night. So, show up in your Western wear and have a great time with us! I have a brand-spankin' new pair of boots I'll have on and just wait until you see them. They rule.

GO BULLS!

BULLS LOSE IN HEARTBREAKING SHOOT

Last night's game was a nail-biter from beginning to end. Unlike the last two-game series, the Eagles this time came not to fight but to play. This was back-up goalie Taylor Nelson's toughest challenge and up until the very end he did very well.

I got upgraded to the BEST seats in the house!

Peter Sivak

Torrey Mitchell scored the Bulls only goal in the First Period, while Colorado's Devin DiDiomete scored their only goal in the Second.

Torrey Mitchell

Joking around during Warm Ups

Defense was strong for both teams. Bulls led in shots to goal 42 at 36. The loss came after many players tried in the Shoot Out. And for that, there is no dishonor in this loss, no reason to feel bad; this was a thrilling game and at least the Bulls get a point out of it.

Face Off

This is the way to play, Bulls! This is hard-fought, battling, never giving up, never giving in hockey! Nelson did an amazing job. He played his best and I'm very proud of him. This was probably one of the most important games of his short professional career.

If there's one area right now that the Bulls need to improve it's in Face Offs. The team doesn't seem to do well in getting the puck off of these and this couldn't be a big difference in tight games such as last night.

He has another coming up Friday against the same Colorado Eagles. It's Country Night at the Barn. Get your nicest duds out and join us for a good ol' time!

Also, tonight is Bulls Weekly and I've heard a couple different things about who is the guest. Needless to say, you should be there. 6pm at Pedro's across the street from AT&T Park.

GO BULLS!