While you’re waiting for the next NHL Playoff game to kick off, you should have been watching or taping the IIHF Championships that are going on in Helsinki, Finland. The other night the U.S. team and Canada squared off in a great game which climaxed in an OT win by the U.S. in overtime. Fantastic game that was on the NHL channel and will probably be replayed so keep an eye out for that.

The games continue through the week so be sure to catch them for some great action. You can stream most of the games for free on the IIHF YouTube channel so enjoy killing some time during the work week!

Another match between France and Kazakhstan saw Brendan Shanahan’s worst nightmare. An ugly hit by France’s Sasha Treille on Roman Starchenko left the Kazakhstan player on the ice out cold! After several scary moments and the bringing out of the spine board, Roman was able to wake up and sluggishly skate off the ice under his own power.

The Flyers landed a 4-3 win on Sunday in the first game of the 2nd round of NHL Playoff action thanks to an OT goal by Danny “I didn’t kick it in” Briere. It was Briere’s second goal of the OT after this little soccer kick got called back on a review.

Brodeur’s been solid in net this postseason but it’s hard to stop the firepower of the Flyers. It’s good to know that even though Marty will be turning 40 years old very soon, he still has the moves. Seriously. If I tried this now I’d be shipped to the ER.

Gif via SB Nation

This just in! The Vancouver Canucks are interested in trading for Boston’s Brad Marchand. The news comes after Washington Capitals fans noticed that Brad Marchand was channeling his inner-Kessler a few times and easily going down to the ice in what Caps fans look to be a move to draw a cheap penalty.

Check out the play a few days ago:

The debate on whether or not Marchand flopped or was hit legit is up for debate. But who cares because it spawned my new favorite animated GIF, via RMNB!

Don’t look now but the Washington Capitals are up 3-2 in their series against Boston and threatening to knock the defending Stanley Cup Champs out of the playoffs early. For those of you that missed the 4-3 Caps win in Game 5, here’s kinda how it went.

The first round of the NHL Playoffs are finishing up and I can’t think of a better way to show your team support than to deck out your smartphone with NHL iPHone Lockscreens.

Custom made by a hockey fan, this collection of NHL iPhone Lockscreens was made by a New Jersey Devils fan, who was a bit excited about the Devils in the playoffs and decide to make a home screen for the iPhone. Being that it is the playoffs, and exhibiting some kindness, they decided to make the screens for the whole NHL set of teams. Awesome! You can download the whole set here

No one trolls like the Flyers!

Check out the t-shirts being handed out in preparation for the Game 4 matchup.  Check this post to see why the shirt is relevant in case you’re asking.

Shirt pic via
Sidney the Cowardly Penguin via

Hey everybody. Look! Raffi Torres just dished out a cheap shot and sent a Chicago Blackhawks player to the locker room.

Brent Seabrook of the Blackhawks knows all about Torres and now so does Chicago forward Marian Hossa, who was taken off the ice on a stretcher Tuesday night in Game 3 of the Blackhawks-Coyotes series.

Hossa was also briefly hospitalized after the hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres in the first period. Hossa lay on the ice for around five minutes before medical teams strapped him to a back board and took him to the hospital. Check out the hit for yourself and you’ll see Torres leave his feet to deliver the hit to Hossa.

And depending on the mood of the NHL, I’m sure Hossa will be either suspended for a few games or just fined $17.50. Hard to say. Depends on which side of the bed Brendan Shanahan gets out on.

He may dive to the ice at the slightest breeze, but Henrik Sedin deserves some props for getting jacked big time on the ice Sunday and staying in the game. The hit was so massive by the Kings Dustin Brown that Ryan Kesler, who was on the bench, flopped to the ground.

The Canucks will need all the Sedins they can get. The Kings and their awesome Twitter feed have built a surprising 3-0 lead in the series and threaten to bounce the Canucks out of the postseason tomorrow.

Daniel Sedin, Henrik’s twin, is nursing a concussion and is expected for Game 4 but it’s not 100% official yet.  The Canucks played better Sunday night but they still lack the offensive power to keep up with L.A., who has outscored them 9-4 in the three games.

Sidney Crosby didn’t mince words when it came to why he acted the way he did on Sunday afternoon in the blowout loss to the Flyers. Turns out, Sidney just hates the Flyers. He hates everyone on the team.

Why? Because they’re the Flyers, of course!

Duh!

Well, that didn’t take long. The Philadelphia Flyers came ready for their first series matchup against in-state rivals Pittsburgh. Problem is, Pittsburgh forgot to bring a gameplan or any kind of defense. The Flyers have gone up 3 games to none and look to easily sweep the series that should have gone to Game 7, in OT.

Instead we were treated to a pathetic example of a talented Pens team trying to ‘fight’ their way to a win. Yeah, you just can’t do that against Philly. You’re gonna lose no matter what season you try that in.

Pittsburgh and Philly faced off on NBC Sunday afternoon in what turned out to be a blowout 8-4 win by the Flyers. But the game was never in the hands of Pittsburgh. Except maybe the first 8 minutes before the wheels fell off. And when I say fell off, I mean it. They came flying off!

I don’t know what was more embarrassing…Marc-Andre Fleury letting in a few of the easiest shots ever or Sidney Crosby acting like a baby girl. Watch as Crosby helps kick off a 10-minute fight/melee with this little childish act

Philly built a 3-1 lead quickly and soon filled the penalty box as all the Pens including Sidney Crosby tried to square off against the Flyers. That is when they weren’t giving cheap shots. Check out Arron Asham of the Pens joining the instant suspension club by crosschecking and then punching the Flyers Breyden Schenn head into the ice…from behind.

And here’s James Neal of the Penguins with a stupid, blind-side hit on the Flyers Sean Couturier in the closing minutes of the game. Sad.

It’s sad to see this type of behavior from such a talented group of guys. And it sucks it was on primetime TV so all those people catching the game and thinking hockey was a stereotypical game of goons hitting each other got their wish. Shame on you Pittsburgh. You’re so much better than that.

Heck, even Pens head coach Dan Bylsma looks confused. What the heck is going on in Pittsburgh? Are the Hanson Brothers running the joint?