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Peter’s favorite things of 2022

By Peter Hassett

 33 Comments

December 6, 2022 6:59 pm

There is no Washington Capitals game tonight. I’ve got a free minute, and Ian’s story on positivity got me inspired.

Like all years, 2022 was a bad year, but here are my favorite things from it.

Favorite Caps player

Put me down for a Nic Dowd. I can’t help but love a fourth line center who you just trust out there. When so much is uncertain, there’s Nic Dowd beagling it up. Dowd has scored ten goals in 71 games so far this calendar year. The Caps have been mildly outscored (42 to 38) during his shifts, though maybe that’s to be expected from a forward who started in the offensive zone less often than all but one NHL forward (Austin Watson).

Favorite non-Caps player

I’m sorry, but it’s gotta be Jonas Siegenthaler. Again, I’m sorry. I liked him when he was a Capital and therefore my nephew, and I like him still now that he’s a butterfly released into the sunny meadow that is New Jersey. He’s a defensive defender who blocks everything that moves, but he’s also the guy the Devils rely on to transition from defense to offense. If you’re wearing your Caps fan hat, I know this stings, but Siegenthaler is in the Norris conversation right now.

Favorite Caps game

It’s gotta be the Raining Apples Game.

The Caps played bad for most of it, and my recap is blah, but Nicky Backstrom’s big hero moment was so special.

Favorite Caps play

Okay, forgive me for going dark horse here. Way back in January, backup-to-the-backup goalie Zach Fucale did this.

I still get hyped thinking of that one. I don’t really understand why Fucale didn’t get a longer look.

Favorite Caps tweeter

Stiff competition. With apologies to Dave (SPORTS MODE), the Hazardous Weather Prediction Center, and many more, my fave of the year is Washington Capitals Brasil: the only twitter account currently teaching me Portuguese through repeated casual exposure. Voltamos!

If you’re interested, I have a list of hockey accounts I follow as a column on TweetDeck, and there’s a bunch of good folks there, and Marc Spector too.

Favorite hockey podcast

There’s a lot of competition here, especially from You Can’t Do That, which makes me laugh on the regular. Though a latecomer I’ve enjoyed is I Hate This Team, a happily miserable documenting of the Vancouver Canucks season by two longtime fans who should know better. They picked a good season to begin, which is to say a terrible season for Vancouver. (How have they not fired Bruce yet? I prepped an article on that two months ago and I’m still waiting to use it.)

Favorite RMNB story

RMNB OG favorite, Alex Semin, wants to be in the entourage when Ovechkin catches Gretzky. The raw psychic power of the fanfiction could light up a medium-sized suburb.

Favorite RMNB tweet

Tough break to all the tweets by me. Shy Cat wins by a mile.

Okay now all the fun non-hockey cultural stuff.

Favorite music

I like albums. My top album of the year was Expert in a Dying Field by The Beths. Totally flawless guitar pop.

Also up there: Ghost’s Impera, Louis Cole’s Quality Over Opinion, and Mr. Goblin’s Bunny.

Favorite movie

Nearly all the MCU movies this year were unspeakably terrible (for me), but I am such a Sam Raimi head I could not resist Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Banshees of Inisherin depressed the heck out of me in a beautiful way, and The Batman was a gorgeously ugly movie that felt like an antidote to the Nolan films. But my favorite was Nope.

Maybe it’s a horror movie, maybe it’s a cultural critique about exploitation, but really at its heart it’s a pretty cowboy movie. That final shot — damn.

Favorite TV show

Andor. I didn’t know we were allowed to have Star Wars things that would still be good even if they weren’t Star Wars things. It made the empire scary! It had insightful things to say about political resistance! Everyone acted their faces off. Maarva’s line “That’s just love” still wrecks me. In my headcanon, they kept the F-bomb in. Please use the comments to decide if Luthien is a) fallen Jedi, b) a good Sith a la Darth Vectivus, or c) just some dude.

I also loved Peacemaker and Station Eleven, for opposite reasons.

Favorite video game

Elden Ring. It was so hard, you guys. I don’t think I ever got good at parrying. I needed a duo for Margit and Godrick, I needed a full-on posse for Radagon, I cheesed Rennala and the Fire Giant, and I don’t know how I ever beat Mohg or Malenia or [spoiler]. I got totally lost in that game, which comforted me after the Caps got eliminated. I also loved Norco, and I liked watching Aileen play Stray.

Favorite book

Manhunt. It’s a serious horror book; I’m telling you right now. It’s as hardcore as it gets. This really might not be the book for you. But holy hell, Gretchen Felker-Martin can write. The villain is JK Rowling. I read this as I was coming down with COVID, and honestly it really enhanced the experience.

Also in consideration were Dilla Time and Nona the Ninth, which had me inconsolable near the end.

I’d love to hear your faves.