Category: Uncategorized

Marian Hossa is making a huge impact for the Blackhawks – he recently got back into the lineup, and the Central Division leading Hawks are showcasing their immense offensive talent every night. Check out this highlight-reel goal from Hossa (that cracked Sportscenter’s Top Ten plays)

He grabs the pass with one hand, drops the puck down, and swats it in mid-air past Antero Nittymaki. Hossa has consistently proven himself as a world-class forward, and if he can stay healthy, Chicago fans can count on huge numbers from Marian.

We told you a couple weeks ago that Jason Allison is making an NHL comeback attempt with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Well if he isn’t wanted for his scoring or playmaking abilities, I think he should be considered for his enforcer abilities. Check out this Allison vs. Powe fight where he grabs a hold of Powe’s helmet and rips it in half.

Last week we showed you pre-release images of the Team Canada 2010 Olympic Jerseys. Well today we have images for you of the USA Hockey 2010 Olympic Jerseys. They are pretty cool Nike jerseys, and I like the retro white one as well, however if I had to pick a winner i’d say Canada is leading right now in the Olympic jersey competition. I’ve included some pics below of the Team USA jerseys to decide for yourself, and the last picture is of a Nike ‘We the People’ image that will be located on the arm and lower back of the players jerseys. The image has the Statue of Liberty, represented by the torch, stars and stripes representing the 50 American states, the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, decorative elements from the currency, and a bleeding heart representing Hispanic culture.

 

There is something patriotic about the unveiling of the latest Team Canada Hockey Jerseys that screams, “We are ready to dominate the world!” Given that the 2010 Winter Olympics are set to be held in Vancouver, Canada this year, the jerseys are going to be holding a little extra meaning than usual for Canadians.

Are you ready to see what your Canadian hockey heroes are going to be wearing during the Olympics? Check them out. Tell us what you think. The Puck Doctors are loving the new look. It’s kind of an old-fashioned throwback, mixed in with just the right amount of modern energy to help us take on the world. Go Canada Go!

(H/T to IceThetics for the Pics)

Scary moment during Philadelphia’s dominating 5-game series win over the Devils – Ian Laperriere goes down to block a shot from Paul Martin and the puck strikes him right above his left eye.

“The Flyers lost shot blocker extraordinaire Ian Laperriere 3:56 into the third after he took a puck in the face when he went down to block a shot from the point by Martin with his team killing their sixth Devils’ power-play of the game.

The cut would require 60-70 stitches, but Laperriere swore that he’d “never play without a visor again” after this injury.

“I walked back into the medical room and I couldn’t see anything,’’ Laperriere said. “It’s not a good feeling. I want to see my kids with both of my eyes (as) they grow up. It took this to make me realize I need to wear a shield (to avoid) making a stupid mistake again.” {Philly Burbs}

He’ll have some time to recover, as Philadelphia was the first of all teams to advance to the Semi-finals, but no word yet on whether or not Ian Laperriere will be in the lineup for the Flyers in the next round.

I saw this hit while I was watching the Capitals-Blackhawks game earlier this afternoon, and Puck Daddy did some quick work and got the video online right after the game.

Campbell skates back into his own zone to pick up a dump in, when Alex Ovechkin races in and hits Campbell from behind. It’s pretty clear that A.O makes contact with Brian Campbell on the numbers of his jersey. Ovechkin was given a 5-minute major and a game misconduct – which is Ovechkin’s third game misconduct on the year, which leads all NHL players.

As Wyshynski articulated, A.O will have to be suspended by in the NHL, because of the statutes in the League rulebook about hits from behind:

23.5 Fines and Suspensions – Stick Infractions, Boarding and Checking from Behind Category – In regular League games, any player or goalkeeper who incurs a total of two (2) game misconduct penalties for stick-related infractions, Boarding – Rule 42, or Checking from Behind – Rule 44, shall be suspended automatically for the next League game of his team. For each subsequent game misconduct penalty, the automatic suspension shall be increased by one game.

As we’ve seen in the past (Malkin in the Stanley Cup Finals), the League hates to sit its star players. I can’t imagine that the NHL will suspend Ovechkin for more than a game or two. I won’t come out and condemn this hit outright, like I did with Matt Cooke’s nasty headshot on Marc Savard, but I do think it’s poor judgement on Ovechkin’s part. Campbell turns before the hit a little bit, sure, but it’s clear that Alex pushes and fully extends his arms right into the back of Campbell. It’s a hit from behind and a text book boarding call – and it’s worthy of a suspension.

The debate on SBNation’s Capitals blog, Jasper’s Rink, is seriously interesting – Caps fans are really going both ways on this hit:

“Big Caps fan and season ticket holder—-but I have to be honest here –

Ovechkin is a stupid player. He is costing his team with his foolish play. Trust me – he is going to get a 3 to 5 game suspension, which will cost him the goal scoring title, but moreover he is gaining a reputation which will hurt the CAPS.

Ovechkin is talented — but really stupid. Caps won’t win a cup with this guy playing as he is. He must tone it down.” {Dougeb}

I’ve always maintained at the very least, Alex Ovechkin plays a risky game, and if he keeps up this pace, he’ll quickly find himself with a myriad of nagging injuries. I think Dougeb is partially right – it’s an irresponsible play in the context of their season. Under 15 games left in their schedule, and the Capitals still lead the Eastern Conference. There’s no need for that kind of play – his team isn’t battling for a playoff spot, and A.O should have used a little more discretion on a menial little dump-in like that.

Other Caps fans think this wasn’t a dirty hit at all:

“I don’t even think it was emotional. He tried to hit Campbell and if Campbell doesn’t toe pick it’s not an issue. He caught his toe and took a bad fall. Tough luck but not a dirty play.” {Fehr and Balanced}

I can see where he’s coming from. Brian Campbell did turn a bit before Ovechkin laid the hit on him, and I think Campbell put himself in a bad posistion. He should have looked over his shoulder to pick up on forecheckers – but that doesn’t excuse Ovechkin’s full extension of his arms into the numbers of Campbell. It’s a textbook hit from behind, and it’s a dangerous play that could have maimed Campbell. I think the league has to take action here.

Either case, leave your own thoughts in the comments. Great debate going on in the hockey world about this whole situation.

When I saw this today in the Vancouver Sun, I was astounded. It is not every day you hear stories of a seeming miracle. At 77 years of age, the legendary amateur hockey coach from B.C. gets lost in the wilderness, survives on only water from Creeks, and lives to tell the story. Here are some details from the Sun:

McLean, a legend in the B.C. hockey world and a part-time gold prospector, had gone missing Sunday afternoon while surveying a mining property in the remote region….And totally unprepared for what was about to happen. Wearing only a shirt and sweater — no jacket — and not having his emergency phone or GPS, McLean spent four nights in the remote wilderness sleeping under trees to keep as warm as possible.

“During the day, in the sunshine, I would remove my clothes and dry them out,” he recalled. “I would start walking at 6 a.m. and kept going for 12 hours.”

Without food, he survived on water alone from the various creeks he discovered. Fortunately, the only animal he encountered was a bull moose that shared a drink with him before running off into the bush.

Some may call him lucky to be alive. But i’m not so sure. After googling more about the situation, I came across this article from CBC sports which outlines other various miraculous survivor stories involving McLean. Could McLean be a real life hero a la Bruce Willis in “Unbreakable”?

Reed credited McLean’s legendary toughness, and a bit of luck, for his survival, noting McLean previously survived a plane crash in Saskatchewan, and walked out of the woods alive a few days later despite losing an eye and breaking several bones.

He’s also survived car accidents, being run over by a bulldozer and being stranded on a frozen lake in freezing conditions for several days.

McLean didn’t see any bears during his most recent ordeal, but he did have a few close encounters with some moose, Reed said.

The Vancouver Canucks ripped up the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night 7-3 to take a hearty 2-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals. In that loss the San Jose Sharks racked up a ton of penalties, 51 penalty minutes, and one Shark in particular was singled out for his actions.

Ben Eager, the Sharks left winger, helped the Canucks control the game by contributing four minor penalties, two of which were converted into power-play goals for the Canucks. Eager’s faults included a roughing penalty and a then a cross-checking penalty as well as a 10-minute misconduct.

Eager got a goal in garbage time of the game and afterwards stood over Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo and started talking smack. Not exactly his best moment.

The game overall was sad for the Sharks who possess a huge arsenal of offensive talent. But taking 4 penalties for stupidity is a huge hole few teams can dig their way out of.

“It’s embarrassing,” Sharks center Logan Couture said. “That’s the only word that comes to mind about tonight.”

Even though Ben Eager was the clear factor in the Sharks meltdown I can’t blame him too much. Maybe the NHL league office will suspend him for that cross-checking penalty but I would like to present some photographic evidence on why Eager was so distracted. And I don’t blame him.

Check out Eager in the penalty box. It’s NSFW and features a lovely Canucks lady leaning against the penalty box and pressing her bare boobs up against the glass. The Green Men are awesome but the flashing chick is better! I’d head to the box 4 times as well if you could guarantee that there would be hot chicks flashing me there. You can check out the uncensored picture here.

I’d be more than….Eager to do so! So check out the video below, while it’s still up, and just know that it does contain nudity. If you’re at work just tell your boss you’re watching sports highlights but know it is NSFW.

The Leafs are sitting in the bottom of the Northeast Division and the fans are not letting the players forget that fact. After a loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, fans threw waffles at Leafs players on the ice of the Air Canada Centre.

The City of Edmonton recorded its water usage during the Olympic Hockey Gold Medal game, and to the surprise of no one, Canadian citizens didn’t use the restroom until the intermissions. Check out this graph as proof:

Hilarious graph. It truly is Canada’s game.