Bobby Goalie

Team Name: New York Rangers
Founded: 1926, as part of the NHL’s early U.S. expansion.
City: New York City, New York, USA. Their home arena is Madison Square Garden, one of the most famous arenas in the world.
Biggest Achievement:

• The Rangers have won the Stanley Cup 4 times: 1928, 1933, 1940, and 1994.
  
  
• Their most famous victory came in 1994, when Mark Messier captained the team to break a 54-year championship drought, defeating the Vancouver Canucks in a thrilling 7-game final.

Team Name: Vancouver Canucks
Founded: The Canucks joined the NHL in 1970 as an expansion team.
City: Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada since their founding.

Biggest Achievement:

• The Canucks have reached the Stanley Cup Finals three times: in 1982, 1994, and 2011.
  
  
• Although they have not yet won the Stanley Cup, these finals appearances are highlights in their history.
  
  
• The 1994 Stanley Cup Finals were particularly memorable, as they lost a dramatic seven-game series to the New York Rangers.

Type: Evergreen, trailing perennial herb.

Needles: None – has small, opposite, rounded green leaves.

Lifespan: Can live for decades through creeping stems, even though individual flowers last only a few days.

Habitat: Found in cool, moist coniferous forests across North America, Europe, and Asia.

Uses: Traditionally used by Indigenous peoples for teas and medicines; admired as an ornamental wildflower.

Adaptations: Spreads by creeping runners (stolons) to form dense mats in shaded forests.

Ecological Role: Provides nectar for bees and other small pollinators; helps stabilize forest soil.

Fun fact: Named after botanist Carl Linnaeus, who considered it his favorite flower and adopted it as his personal emblem!

Type: Deciduous ornamental tree or shrub.

Needles: None – has delicate, lobed leaves that can be green, red, or purple.

Lifespan: Typically 50–100 years with proper care.

Habitat: Native to Japan, Korea, and China; prefers temperate climates with well-drained, slightly acidic soil.

Uses: Popular in landscaping, bonsai, and Japanese gardens for its striking foliage and form.

Adaptations: Can thrive in partial shade to protect leaves from scorching; deep root system helps with stability.

Ecological Role: Provides nectar for pollinators in spring and habitat for small birds and insects.

Fun fact: Some cultivated varieties have leaves so finely cut they look like lace, earning them the nickname "laceleaf maples."

• Kicked it out means a player, often the goalie, uses their skate to deflect or clear the puck away from the net or danger area.
• Anchor your skates refers to maintaining a strong, balanced stance on the ice to resist being pushed or knocked off position.
• A Big Hit is a powerful body check delivered to an opponent to stop their momentum or separate them from the puck.

• Protect the Net means defending your goal area by blocking shots, clearing rebounds, and preventing opponents from scoring.
• Hold Your Position instructs players to stay in their assigned area instead of chasing the puck, maintaining team structure and coverage.
• Fall Back & Regroup means retreating toward your own zone to regain control of the puck, reorganize, and prepare for another offensive push.