Hanzal returned, Louis Domingue got a shut-out, the team didn't allow five goals against and OEL was paired with Murphy.
Basically a Christmas miracle.
Tomorrow the Coyotes will host the Leafs and Domingue will look to shutdown recently unleashed sniper Michael Grabner in a battle for last place.
But that is then, this is now. And now what we have is my list of the top ten records of the year, which will no doubt be a weird list because of all the people making one, I am probably the only guy who bought all the albums on CD.
I figure lists like this are pretty stupid. Rob Schefield of Rolling Stone made one, and his only job is to listen to music and he's written record reviews for like 30 years - but it sucks. The guy includes Selena Gomez and No Direction.
So somebody's got to have a list that reflects my tastes and that guy is me. It probably won't reflect your tastes, but that is fine. Maybe you'll find a new band you like. Maybe not.
Maybe you'll be entertained or you'll just think I'm pretentious.
But I do everything basically just to entertain myself and all writers are pretentious.
To the list.
10)Waxatachee Ivy Tripp
My dad burned actually turned me on to this. He reads record reviews and then listens to everything and then passes the good stuff on to me. He is basically like my own personal curator. I love this record.
9. Wilco Star Wars
If this album came out in 2004 we'd be hailing it as a work of genius. Great record by a somehow under appreciated band.
8.D'angelo Black Messiah
If I was rating this on pure artistic achievements, then this might be #2 on the list. But its a heavy record and not that fun to listen to. Still, its a great record.
7.Modest Mouse. Strangers to Ourselves
Not their greatest album, but when you are the guys who wrote the Moon and Antartica that's just like saying Goodfellas isn't Scorsese's best movie.
Absent from every top-ten list I read, and I guess that means that one day it will just be another underrated classic. "Lampshades on Fire" is about the best rock-single of the year.
In a time when it's cooler to pretend that crappy teen-pop suddenly got mature and it's OK to like it, this is refreshing to me.
7. Viet Cong
Another great album that is somewhat hard to listen to. It grows on you though and is actually quite an achievement. Some claimed their name was offensive and they changed it, which is understandable, but not very rock and roll.
6.Blur the Magic Whip
If rock was "cool" this year, I think this would have been on more lists. How many bands quit for ten years and comeback with an album as great as anything they've ever done? How many bands have as many great records as Blur?
5. Father John Misty I love you Honeybear
Bob Dylan wishes he wrote this song. That's all I have to say about this.
4. Tame Impala Currents
Give up the guitar that made you famous and then open your record with an eight minute song without a chorus. Sounds like a bad move, but it's a great record.
3.Beach House Depression Cherry
Only two other amazing albums prevent this from being the tops record of the year. Like Dylan Strome in the draft, this would be #1 in a normal year.
2. Courtney Barnett Sometimes I Sit and Think and Sometimes I Just Sit
Australian accent. Well read. Once played the entirety of INXS' Kick in a concert.
Sings about Jackson Pollock. Is this even that good of a record or did my ideal woman just come to life? Don't tell my wife! 1. Kendrick Lamar To Pimp a Butterfly
The reason you still buy albums and don't just listen to singles is because of things like this. No point rehashing what a million people already said, but this is something that stands with the best of Springsteen, the Beach Boys, Radiohead and Dylan.
*Yes I do realize there are two number 7s. It turns out there were 11 albums I wanted to talk about.
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