Player Celebrates Goal and Sucker Hugs Opponent, Gets punched

October 31, 2011 – Dr. Deke

I can completely understand with being overjoyed with scoring a goal and hugging your teammates. Goals came so little to me that I’d probably hug the goalie if I could for being gracious enough to allow me to achieve the rare event.

Here’s a clip of Swedish player Henrik Eriksson celebrating in style after he knocks in a goal. He then immediately hugs the first person he sees who just happens to be opponent Alen Bibic.

After the surprise hug, Bibic responds accordingly and punches Eriksson.

Manitoba Hockey Hazing Out Of Control As Bottles Tied to Genitals

October 28, 2011 – Dr. Rush

When it comes to locker room hazing, I’ve never been a fan. In fact, most of my experiences make me wonder why it was allowed. And that was a long time ago when I played.

Pranks and jokes are one thing but there’s always a few guys who take it too far. I remember kids in my school getting stripped down and duct taped to flagged poles. I’ll wait for the few chuckles but if you’ve ever tried to take duct tape off like that it rips hair and parts of skin with it. Not fun which is why it was stopped quickly.

In Manitoba, Canada, a 15-year-old hockey boy was forced to parade around the dressing room with water bottles tied to his genitals, the teen’s parents alleged Wednesday in an effort to end hazing rituals in minor hockey.

[via CBC] The parents described their son’s hazing experience in a CBC News interview on Wednesday, a day after the Manitoba Junior Hockey League suspended the Neepawa Natives’ coaches and 16 players for hazing incidents involving five team members.
The team was also slapped with a $5,000 fine, the largest fine the league has ever issued, according to its commissioner.
In all, 16 players — including the team captain and three assistant captains — have been suspended for between one and five games for the hazing incident, which allegedly took place the week of Sept. 26
Because he did not score well in the dance-off, the 15-year-old boy had to undergo another ritual — which the team referred to as “Tug” — in which he was held down while a water bottle carrier, loaded with bottles and towels, was tied to his scrotum with a string.

It’s hard to argue what should be allowed and banned in sports leagues as players will always lean toward doing something of the hazing nature. In general, there should be some guidelines drawn up to help educate the kids.

It seems to have been around forever and it will be hard to change. Even back in the 80′s, one of the films centered around hockey, the Rob Lowe – Patrick Swazyze “Youngblood” movie, showcases what players can expect when meeting the vets in the locker room.

Puck Doctors NHL Week 4 Power Rankings

October 27, 2011 – Dr. Rush

The latest NHL Power Rankings show that some teams just were over their head in the first part of the season with some huge drops in the standings. Meanwhile, goaltending is key as the Kings continue to surprise everyone.

NHL Power Rankings

1

Last Week: – 1

Washington Capitals (7-1-0)

Tomas Vokoun has the Caps as the last undefeated team. Solid play from Backstrom and Ovi help but upcoming West Coast road trip will be first real test to see if they are for real. Late Edit: Caps finally lose, to Edmonton and the Oilers #30 ranked offense. Ouch.

2

Last Week: – 10

Pittsburgh Penguins (7-2-2)

No Crosby but Malkin is back and the Pens are looking solid. 4 wins in a row and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury is the reason why.

3

Last Week: – 12

L.A. Kings (5-2-1)

Sensational goal tending has moved the Kings up huge on the list. Jonathan Quick is making a huge name for himself in an attempt to make the Kings playoff threats this year.

4

Last Week: – 4

Colorado Avalanche (6-2-0)

The young Avs continue to blow away the rest of the league. Oddly enough, they win 5 on the road and go home to lose. Then win on the road again.

5

Last Week: – 8

Dallas Stars (7-3-0)

Kari Lehtonen is keeping the team afloat but they’ve lost 2 of their last three.

6

Last Week: – 14

Chicago Blackhawks (5-1-2)

Huge move up as the Blackhawks sit atop the division thanks to some stingy goaltending.

7

Last Week: – 5

Toronto Maple Leafs (6-2-1)

Powered by Waffles, the Leafs are atop the NE Division. Early season prediction by us had the Leafs having a solid year thanks to our mental powers wishing it upon the team. We are more powerful than we thought!

8

Last Week: – 2

Detroit Red Wings (5-2-0)

You lose to the Blue Jackets, you drop in the rankings. No question. Bigger issue, two loses in a row and outscored 2-11. Bad week for the Wings

9

Last Week: – 3

Philadelphia Flyers (5-4-1)

Pronger is out with an eye injury for a few weeks and the Flyers dropped closer to mediocrity. Lost 4 of their last 5 including a 9-8 shootout with Winnipeg. May need to start goalie Ilya Bryzgalov for every game.

10

Last Week: – 6

Buffalo Sabres (5-3-0)

Losers of 2 in a row, the Sabres look to rebound with a game against the Blue Jackets.

11

Last Week: – 9

Anaheim Ducks (4-3-1)

The hot start cooled quick. Lost 3 now including an OT loss to Chicago.

12

Last Week: – 24

San Jose Sharks (4-3-0)

Winners of 3 straight, the Sharks have started to wake up after a slow start. Offense is an issued here but if they can keep up their game from the last few matches they’ll be alright.

13

Last Week: – 19

Carolina Hurricanes (3-3-3)

Three loses in a row with 2 in OT. They’re close, but not good enough yet. The 3-3-3 record is perfect for them right now, right in the middle.

14

Last Week: – 11

New Jersey Devils (4-2-1)

West coast road trip is starting to take its toll with a few loses but the Devils are playing well, mostly considering how bad they were last year at this time.

15

Last Week: – 16

Edmonton Oilers (4-2-2)

The young Oilers lack an offensive punch yet but have slipped into #2 in their division thanks to stellar goaltending by Nikolai Khabibulin. Last two wins were against Vancouver and Washington, very impressive despite the worst offense in the NHL

16

Last Week: – 18

Minnesota Wild (3-3-3)

Hovering in the middle without much going on here, the Wild have dropped a few games this week and could be in for a huge drop in the rankings next week.

17

Last Week:- 15

Nashville Predators (4-4-1)

Lost 3 of their last 4, the Preds look to have little bite right now. Offense needs to wake up and Mike Fisher is back this week which is just what they need.

18

Last Week:- 17

Vancouver Canucks (4-5-1)

This is not the dominant team from last year. Like the Bruins, the Canucks are struggling to find their way and traded for David Booth to give them a boost.

19

Last Week:- 25

Tampa Bay Lightning (4-4-2)

Three in a row for the win column helps the Bolts rise up a bit. Offense has woken up, outscoring their opponents 11-4 in those games.

20

Last Week: – 22

St. Louis Blues(5-4-0)

Three wins in a row including a shutout of Vancouver on Wednesday as the offense is spreading the fun around.

21

Last Week:- 13

Florida Panthers (5-4-0)

After a hot start, the Panthers and their new lineup fell with 2-straight 0-3 shutout loses. A win against the lowly Islanders and Canadiens lifted them back up but the team is treading water right now with one of the lower scoring offenses in the Conference.

22

Last Week: – 29

Ottawa Senators (5-5-0)

The crappy Sens aren’t that crappy as they have won 4 frickin’ games in a row. Wow…and what? How did this happen?

23

Last Week: – 21

Boston Bruins (3-6-0)

Still nursing a wicked Stanley Cup hangover, the Bruins are now officially the worst team in the Eastern Conference. Still too early to hit the panic button but the Bruins just look horrid and have little offense.

24

Last Week: – 20

Phoenix Coyotes (3-3-2)

Woof! What a dog of a season so far. The Coyotes have lost 3 of their last 4 and need to find a goalie to carry them like last season.

25

Last Week: – 7

New York Islanders (3-4-1)

Quick start put them out ahead fast but the Isles have quickly dropped to where we expect them : the cellar. Tied for worst in goals scored this season with Edmonton and losers of 4 straight. They will drop more next week.

26

Last Week:- 28

New York Rangers (3-3-2)

The slow start is heating up a tad but the Rangers have no offense and good goaltending. That’s going to get them nowhere.

27

Last Week: – 26

Calgary Flames (2-4-1)

Tough start for the Flames and even though they might not be good enough to go anywhere this season, a 2-1-1 record in their last 4 is hope for some improvement.

28

Last Week:- 23

Montreal Canadiens (2-5-2)

The Canadiens just look worse and worse with each game with 3 loses in their last 4. However, they did beat Philly in their last game nicely and that’s something good to finally talk about with this club.

29

Last Week:- 27

Winnipeg Jets (2-5-1)

The Jets lost 3 of their last 4 as goaltending comes into question. However, a late game this week gave them a crazy 9-8 win over in a rare exhibition of offense. More to come of that? Doubt it but maybe it will wake them up a bit to notch a few more wins.

30

Last Week:- 30

Columbus Blue Jackets (1-7-1)

No changes here. The Blue Jackets still suck but they did finally get their first win. Enjoy it. It’ll be lonely in the win column for awhile.

Pavel Datsyuk Stick Tricks

October 25, 2011 – Dr. Rush

The Detroit Red Wings are off to a hot start (5-1-0) despite half of their squad being eligible for Social Security benefits. One of their vets is the fantastic Pavel Datsyuk. He may be 33 years old but he’s still one of the most skilled and dangerous talents in the league.

Bo Jackson once claimed in a NIKE ad that his success was due to his shoes. Well, in hockey that might be attributed to the player’s stick and in a promo for the new Reebok A.i 9 hockey stick you’ll see that having a great stick is important but having Pavel’s skills don’t hurt, either.

Dang, that guy has some moves.

Save of the Weekend with Rangers Henrik Lundqvist

October 24, 2011 – Dr. Rush

The 2-2-2 New York Rangers are still struggling after starting out slow with their Europe opener. Now back home they have won 2 in a row until they hit the young Oilers.

Midway through the first there’s this awesome save by Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, sliding over and stopping a point-blank opportunity. Nice. Too bad Oilers goalie Nikolai Khabibulin showed Lundqvist up with a 2-0 shutout.

Blue Jackets Blow Lead in 31 Seconds To Showcase How Bad They Are

October 23, 2011 – Dr. Rush

It’s never good when a small market team sucks this bad. Right now the 0-7-1 Columbus Blue Jackets are so bad that even the city of Quebec, actively looking for a team to fill its new arena, are like ‘Nah, we’re not interested…’

Now, the Ottawa Senators are not much better but they can at least say this didn’t happen to them. With 31 seconds left in the 3rd period, and the Jackets up a goal, watch as they self-destruct and lose the game. In regulation time.

Anze Kopitar King of the Alley-Oop

October 22, 2011 – Dr. Deke

L.A. Kings center Anze Kopitar is off to a red-hot start with 4 goals and 6 assists already on the young season. One of his great assists came this week against the Blues when Kopitar made this perfect pass to Simon Gagne.

The trick is he had to put it pass two Blues defenders. Instead of going through and around them, he pops the puck over them. Nice.

And it turns out that he has tried it twice. Not a fluke. Just lots of practice.

The Heartbreak of Johnny Canuck

October 21, 2011 – Dr. Deke

The Vancouver Canucks were within one game of winning their first Stanley Cup but thanks to those pesky Bruins their perfect season was ended on a sour note.

The official unofficial mascot of the Canucks, Johnny Canuck, returns in another viral video. When we last saw Johnny he was ready for his matchup vs the Bruins. And it almost happened.

But now the heartbroken Johnny Canuck needs to heal up and regroup for another run this season.

Joffery Lupul Knocks Out Goal Cam

October 20, 2011 – Dr. Rush

Bullseye!

Joffery Lupul of the Toronto Maple Leafs is having a great start to the season with 7 points already. One of his 4 goals on the season came with this memorable shot on net that hits the net cam directly on the lens and knocks it out of commission.

Sweet shot and plays like this are why the Leafs are off to their best start in ages with a 4-0-1 record.

Puck Doctors Week 3 NHL Power Rankings

October 19, 2011 – Dr. Rush

Power rankings. With the fluctuating National Hockey League it’s never an easy task to keep up with the ups and downs of the world’s fastest sport. With the season already in gear we kick off our Power Rankings (yeah, I know they’re a little late) to see who’s hot and who’s not in the NHL

A weekly peek at the NHL from top to bottom.

NHL Power Rankings

New York Rangers (1-2-0)

The Rangers may have Brad Richards but that doesn’t matter yet. Still hungover from Europe, the Rangers are looking tired.

29

Last Week:-

Ottawa Senators (1-5-0)

The Sens are relatively competitive in their games, which is something. But they can’t make wins yet and may have a hard time in the near future with 2 of their last 3 games being blowouts that let opponents score 7 goals.

30

Last Week:-

Columbus Blue Jackets (0-4-1)

Jeff Carter hits the IR which doesn’t help a season already struggling to net its first win. James Wisniewski may return to a team that’s already out of the playoff hunt and that’s just a handful of games more on his suspension.