HockeyDirt.com

Prime Ministerial Pucks

When former Habs great Jean Beliveau was celebrated this week on the occasion of his 75th birthday, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was among the bevy of hockey and political heavyweights in attendance.  The event was a fundraiser for a number of children's charities Beliveau is involved with. 

To mark the occasion Harper gave Beliveau a special "Prime Ministerial puck."  The puck has the Canadian coat of arms on one side, and Harper's signature on the reverse.   In handing the puck over, Harper told Beliveau now had "the autograph of the worst hockey player ever." 

Prime Minister Harper is a big hockey fan.  His son plays the game and Harper often cuts away from his official duties to watch his son play.  He's also a member of the Society for International Hockey Research.

Pierre McGuire Takes a Hit

It is not that often you get to see one media person take a run at a colleague.  That's why Hugh Adami's column (Reg Req'd, or go here) in today's Ottawa Citizen is worth a read. 

Adami's target is Pierre McGuire, TSN hockey guy, columnist, former coach & radio personality.   McGuire does a regular call-in segment on Ottawa's Team1200 Sports Radio during which he mostly talks intelligently and insightfully about hockey.  Adami does a nice job skewering McGuire's style, particularly his tendency to name drop, pat himself and Team 1200 personalities on the back, and fawn over his favorite players, coaches & team execs.  McGuire also has a tendency to start every sentence off with something like "As I have said before..." implying that there are few hockey-related ideas that didn't germinate in cranium. 

McGuire is usually entertaining and always well-informed.  He appears to have cultivated an amazing network of informants who share behind-the-scenes information on NHL front offices, coaches & players.  I tune in to hear McGuire on the radio when I can.  He does have insights and information that don't show up elsewhere, but he'd be much easier to take if he lost the sycophantic style. 

Bring Home the Stanley Cup

Looking to jump in on the whole "user generated content" thing, Hockey Night in Canada, Pepsi, Lays, Gatorade & the NHL have come up with a contest called "Bring Home the Stanley Cup."

This idea is simple:

By submitting a video or photo that shows how they watch the NHL Playoffs and describing what having the Stanley Cup delivered to their home would mean to them, one Canadian could win:

-A one-of-a-kind hockey shrine designed by CBC's Hockey Night in Canada complete with a Samsung HDTV Home Theatre System, two Hockey Night in Canada leather chairs and memorabilia, an Xbox 360(TM) Game System Console, a flowing supply of Pepsi, Lay's and Gatorade products and much more
-The Ultimate Playoff Party for 20 of their closest friends and family which will be broadcasted on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada during a 2007 playoff game
-And, the official Stanley Cup delivered to their home by six-time Stanley Cup champion, Mark Messier!

The competition is sure to be pretty stiff.  Check out this early entry from one of HockeyDirt's favorites.

Previewing the Frozen Four

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux have won the NCAA hockey title 7 times, the last victory coming in 2000.  Advanced to Frozen Four by defeating Michigan and top-ranked Minnesota.  This is UND's 3rd straight trip to the Frozen Four.  North Dakota faces Boston College in the semis, the same team that eliminated the Fighting Sioux last year. 

Season Record: 22-13-5, ranked 6th by USCHO.  3rd place (behind Minnesota & St. Cloud) in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.  Coached by Dave Hakstol.

Key Players:  Ryan Duncan - 30G, 26A, Sophomore forward from Calgary. Duncan is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award & is currently undrafted.

Visors are Stupid

Hockey Execs Ban Big Kid

Canadians are passionate about hockey.  This passion leads Canadian dads to spend endless evenings making back-yard ice rinks in sub-zero weather.  It leads thousands of volunteers to devote countless hours to coaching, convening, managing and organizing minor hockey so that kids can experience the greatest game on earth. 

Being passionate about something is great, but being too passionate about anything, including hockey, often leads to warped judgement and bad choices. 

Jared Murray* is an 8 year old hockey player, and a pretty good one at that.  He plays for a novice B house league team in Shawville, Quebec, a small town located on the Ottawa river.  Jared has had a very good season, scoring 51 goals in 17 games. 

Jared is a big kid (photo), 4"9' tall and 110 pounds, but novice house league hockey is non-contact so his size is not a huge advantage. In a radio interview Jared's dad said the kid took one penalty all season (for tripping) and that he was scolded for doing so by his mom, who also happened to be the time-keeper for the game, so it's not like the kid is some kind of cross between Zdeno Chara & Derek Boogaard.      

Sadly, Hockey Outaouais, the body that governs the league Jared plays in has decided he's too big and strong (and good?) for his league.  In a remarkable example of bad judgement Hockey Outaouais have banned Jared from participating in the end-of-season tournament.  Somebody need to remind the suits at Hockey Outaouais that Jared is EIGHT.  He's playing HOUSE LEAGUE HOCKEY.  He's playing at the NOVICE B level.  Lunacy. 

This is not the Danny Amonte case.  Jared is big and obviously talented, but he's playing by all of the rules.  Fifty-one goals in 17 games is pretty good, but Wayne Gretzky scored 310 goals as a novice and while parents on opposing teams surely whined about it, nobody banned the kid.  You can bet that every kid who played against Gretzky as a novice looks back on the experience and tells anybody who'll listen that they "played against the Great One."

To protest the decision, the Shawville Hockey Association has opted to withdraw all 8 of its teams, across all age levels, from the year-end playoffs.  This also feels like a questionable decision.  It makes sense for Jared's team with withdraw in support of their teammate, but the entire association?  Talk about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. 

To add a little spice to the dispute, media reports hint that the Shawville decision is linked to long-standing tensions between Shawville (a mainly English-speaking town) and Hockey Outaouais (an association with a largely Francophone executive, representing mainly French-speaking communities).  For many years Shawville fought having to join Hockey Outaouais, prefering a long-standing affiliation with the Ontario-based Ottawa Valley Hockey League. 

*Jared Murray has an admirable hockey pedigree.  His dad, Tim Murray, is a scout for the NY Rangers & his great-uncle is Ottawa Senators coach Bryan Murray. 

CBC Holds on to Hockey

The CBC is hanging on the television rights for Hockey Night in Canada, continuing a relationship that dates back to the 1950s. 

This is a good thing because it means:

1. Saturday night doubleheaders
2. Hockey Day in Canada
3. Always knowing when & where the Leafs are playing
4. Watching playoff games at the cottage without cable
5. More Jim Hughson
6. More rants from Don Cherry accompanied by smirks from Ron MacLean
7. More terrific camera work
8. More opportunities to ridicule Bob's inability to name non-Leaf players
9. More opportunities to play "count the clichés" while listening to Harry Neale
10. More Kelly Hrudey
11. No more (over)exposure for Pierre McGuire
12. Hockey broadcasts that don't feel the need to explain the rules
13. More irritation for Peter Mansbridge when the national news is delayed by playoff overtimes
14. More of Dolores Claman's greatest hit
15. The continuation of a great & proud tradition in a sport that prides itself on tradition

This is a bad thing because it means:

1. More Bob & Harry
2. More xenophobia and Euro/French/Visor bashing from Don Cherry
3. Suffering through a meaningless Leafs vs Panthers broadcast instead of a Sens & Habs tilt for playoff positioning 
4. More Greg Millen
5. More Harry & Bob
6. No Chris Cuthbert
7. Always knowing when & where the Leafs are playing

NCAA Frozen Four Update

The first & second rounds of the Frozen Four tournament have just finished with an exciting 3-2 overtime win by North Dakota over the top seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers.  Chris Porter, a 9th round selection of the Blackhawks, scored the winner at 9:43 of the first overtime.  Minnesota's defeat means that none of the tournament's top seeds will be in St. Louis for Frozen Four weekend. 

The tournament has provided more than its share of excitement, surprises and upsets.  The fun started with an overtime victory by the UMass Minutemen over the three-seed Clarkson Golden Knights.  The Clarkson loss was a harbinger off the stiff challenges all of the tournament's top seeds would face. 

Notre Dame (#2) needed overtime to take down the unlikely tournament qualifiers from Alabama-Huntsville and the top seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers trailed Air Force after two periods, but advanced by scoring three in the third.  Two of Minnesota's goals came from Colorado Avalanche draft picks Ryan Stoa and Mike Carman.  The number three seeded New Hampshire Wildcats also ran into a hot team and were eliminated by the University of Miami (OH) Redhawks. 

With so many upsets, it is perhaps not a shocker that many of the selections submitted to the Hockeydirt NCAA Frozen Four Bracket Contest have been busted.  No one ran the table with their first round selections, although one entrant picked 7 of the 8 first round games correctly. 

The contest leader currently has 11 points and two teams still alive.  Two entrants are tied for second with ten points & they also have 2 teams still playing, as do 2 others who sit in third place with 9 points. 

Starry Starry Hockey Nights

Today is a special day in hockey history.  Sixty-three years ago, on March 24, 1944, Maurice "Rocket" Richard was named the First Star in a 5-1 Montreal win over Toronto in game 2 of the 1944 Stanley Cup semi-final series.  Richard was also named the Second Star, and the Third Star. 

What had Richard done to earn this adulation?  He scored all five Montreal goals, tallying a hat trick in the second period (while also picking up two minor penalties) and adding two more in the third.  This is the one and only time the same player has been singled out for all three stars. 

Hockey is unique(?) in pro sports in singling out players for recognition after every game.  The origins of the NHL's three star tradition are tied to Imperial Oil, an early sponsor of NHL radio and television broadcasts in Canada.

Behind the Scenes: NHL "Road Trip" Promo

NCAA Frozen Four: Get Your Picks In

The NCAA Men's Hockey tournament gets underway today, with the puck drop for the opener between Clarkson & Massachusetts set for 2:30 pm.  The two teams met in October and played to a 3-3 tie. 

The deadline for entering HockeyDirt's NCAA Frozen Four Bracket Contest is noon today.  Enter to have a shot at winning a composite stick from Ballistik Hockey.  Click here for full contest details. 

Looking for a little help filling in your bracket?  Check out ESPN's predictions, they like Boston U to walk away with the hardware. 

Senators Get Grittier

Ottawa GM John Muckler was hammered for not acquiring Gary Roberts at the trade deadline.  Long suffering Senator fans attribute the team's abysmal playoff record to the lack of a gritty, veteran leader.  Many of these armchair GMs thought Roberts would be the perfect fit.  The case for Roberts was further strengthened by his expressed interest in playing in a city close to his daughter (in Toronto) & the fact that he had starred with the Ottawa 67s.  Many wept upon hearing that Roberts was moving to Pittsburgh to serve & protect Sid the Kid. 

With no Roberts in town, it now appears Head Coach Bryan Murray has taken it upon himself to provide the Senators with some grit and leadership, of a sort.  Recently, Murray has been the Senator's "tough guy."

Hockeydirt.com's NCAA Frozen Four Bracket Contest

While it gets none of the hype or television coverage of the basketball tournament, the NCAA Hockey Championships, also known as the Frozen Four, is a fabulous event.  Here at HockeyDirt, we thought it would be fun to set up a "bracket pool." 

Thanks to the awesome people at Ballistik Hockey we have an amazing prize for the winner - a Ballistik Caliber composite stick.

The rules are simple:

1. Download the Hockeydirt.com 2007 NCAA Frozen Four Bracket by clicking here:

Download hockeydirt_ncaa_bracket.doc

2. A first round win is worth 1 point.  A second round win is worth 2 points.  A semifinal round win is worth 3 points and if you pick the ultimate winner it is worth 5 points.  Ties will be broken based on entrants' predictions of the score of the Championship game.   

3.  Fill in your name, and make your picks.  Be sure to provide the final score of the final game in case there is a tie. 

3. Save the file. 

4.- Email it back to us at HockeyDirt.com.  The deadline for entries is Noon on Friday March 23.

Now we know that some of you may not be "experts" on NCAA Men's Hockey, so here are a few tips.

Clark, the Canadian Hockey Goalie

Budget Bungle?

In Canada, it is tradition for the Finance Minister to purchase a new pair of shoes whenever a new budget is being announced. This year, perhaps trying a little to hard to pander to Canadian hockey sentiments, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty purchased a new pair of skates yesterday, instead of shoes.

As you can see in the picture to the left (courtesy of TheGlobeandMail.com) Flaherty opted to pick up a new pair of Reebok skates. This seems a little odd, given Reebok is the international conglomerate that swallowed up Canadian-owned business The Hockey Company, long time manufacturers of such esteemed brands as CCM, Koho and Heaton. While a majority of Canadian hockey-related businesses have been absorbed by larger international interests in the past decade, there are still Canadian options out there, such as Sher-Wood, which is still family-owned and Canadian and manufactures a line of skates.

Perhaps Flaherty's budget will contain measures that will help smaller companies like The Hockey Company compete in the international marketplace in the future.

Tootoo's Punch

For those who have not seen it, the punch that Jordin Tootoo landed on Stephane Robidas can be viewed below. 

When I saw this the first time I could not help but think about Kermit Washington's leveling of Rudy Tomjanovich in a 1977 NBA brawl.   Like Robidas, Tomjanovich essentially ran into Washington's fist, and wound up breaking almost every bone in his face.  Robidas appears to have escaped with just a concussion, perhaps because Tootoo hit him with his glove, not a bare fist.

At the time, Tomjanovich thought his nose was broken, and was anxious to get back into the game and get a piece of Washington on the court. He was unaware that, in fact, his skull had been dislodged, and that the taste in his mouth was a mixture of blood and spinal fluid. Had it not been for the Lakers' medical team, Tomjanovich would have died.

The Washington-Tomjanovich incident is brilliantly recounted in The Punch: One Night, Two Lives, and the Fight That Changed Basketball Forever by John Feinstein. (excerpt)

The NHL has yet to rule on supplemental discipline for Tootoo.  Kermit Washington was suspended for 60 days & fined $10,000, roughly 10% of his annual salary.  Were the NHL to apply the same sanctions in this case, Tootoo would be sitting out 20-25 games and fined $50,000. 

Don't hold your breath waiting for the NHL to come down hard on Tootoo.  There is talk that Tootoo may not even be disciplined for the punch. 

Pink Sticks

This weekend will mark the second Annual Tribute to Hockey Moms with NHL players using special pink sticks that will be auctioned off on eBay to raise money for breast cancer research.

Mike Comrie of the Ottawa Senators remembers last year: "Losing my mom to breast cancer was the hardest thing. Over the years I’ve scored what I thought were big goals, but to score a goal last year using the pink stick for my Mom will always be the greatest for me." Added Dwayne Roloson of the Edmonton Oilers, "My Mom is like the goal post, I’m always using her for support. She and the rest of the moms in any sport deserve to be recognized."

General Body Soreness

For the past few years, the terms "upper body injury" and "lower body injury" have been used by NHL coaches, GMs and team officials looking to reveal as little as possible about specific injuries. 

The New York Islanders have come up with an even better term to describe the injury Rick DiPietro suffered in last night's game against the Habs.  The Islanders are saying that DiPietro is suffering from "general body soreness." 

This reminds me of a kid I coached many years ago.  At least once a game this little guy would drop to the ice in agony.  I'd shuffle from the bench to find out what was wrong and I was never disappointed with the kid's creative complaints.  The best was the time he lay crumpled on the ice, moaning in agony.  I leaned in and asked what was hurting.  He wailed "My Tendons!"  Apparently every tendon in the kid's body hurt.  He was unadoubtedly suffering from "general body soreness." Fortunately he recovered by the time he got to the bench & didn't miss a single shift. 

Kid Tavares

Oshawa Generals phenom John Tavares has 69 goals in 63 games.  When he hits the 70 goal mark Tavares will tie a record held by some guy named Wayne Gretzky for the most by a 16 year old.

The Ottawa Citizen's Don Campbell has a great article on Tavares:  'I like to just be a kid'

Bad Air

The CBC is reporting that the air in many hockey arenas is bad. 

The report found the exhaust that routinely streams out of ice resurfacing machines in skating arenas is to blame for high levels of tiny particles, which experts say are having an effect on people who skate in rinks.

According to Kenneth Rundell, an expert in human performance at Marywood University,

"We found the ice-rink athletes, all the skating athletes, the figure skaters, the short track speed skaters and the hockey players had a higher prevalence of exercise induced asthma … and their lung function was chronically low."

Video

Don't feel too bad, hockey fans, we don't have it so bad.

With the lockout a not-so-distant memory, an NHLPA in tatters, a sham for an All-Star game, constant hand-wringing about the financial state of the NHL, and last but not least, continued goonery creeping into games from time to time (thank you Chris Simon), it seems a little hard sometimes to be a hockey fan, and to justify our love of the game.

It seems that in hockey over the past decade, there's always a side story overshadowing the stories being played out on the ice. Whether at the NHL level, in junior, or even kids hockey, too often there appear stories unrelated to the playing of the game that get more attention than they're due, taking away from our enjoyment of the product of hockey.

Sure, it gets a little tiring, but don't feel too bad hockey fans, we don't have it so bad.

Don Cherry: Blasphemer

Following tonight's 4-3 Toronto win over the Senators, Don "I bleed blue" Cherry compared Darcy Tucker to.....Maurice "Rocket" Richard!

This brings Lloyd Benson's famous line about Dan Quayle to mind.  "I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy."

Okay, I didn't know Maurice Richard, and he certainly wasn't a friend of mind.  But Don, Darcy Tucker is no Rocket Richard.

Simon May Face Criminal Charges

Newsday.com reports:

The Nassau County prosecutors have opened a preliminary probe into whether Islander Chris Simon committed a crime Thursday night when he decked a Ranger player in the face with his hockey stick, a spokesman said.

"We're in the process of obtaining as much footage from as many sources as possible," said Eric Phillips, a spokesman for Nassau County District Attorney Kathleen Rice.

Simon: Diminished Capacity?

It is now being reported that Chris Simon sustained a concussion when he was hit (from behind) by Ryan Hollweg.  Will this be a mitigating factor when the NHL is deciding how long Simon will be suspended?  Should it be?  Can Simon claim some kind of diminished capacity?  And what if Simon's pregame meal includes twinkies? 

Your Call: How Long Should Chris Simon be Suspended?

NHL VP Colin Campbell is expected to rule on the slash Chris Simon delivered to Ryan Hollweg of the Rangers & there is a lot of speculation about the length of the suspension he will impose on Simon.  Here's your chance to pretend you're in Campbell's seat.

How long should the NHL suspend Chris Simon for slashing Ryan Hollweg?
	No suspension
	1 game
	3 games
	5 games
	10 games
	All of the Islanders remaining regular season games
	Until the end of the season, including playoffs
	All of this season, plus a portion of the 2008 season
Free polls from Pollhost.com

In case you haven't seen the incident, check it out here:

Steve Moore on CBC's The National

Steve Moore appeared on the CBC's The National last night, his first tv interview since being assaulted by Todd Bertuzzi.

Hockey players are not like Peyton Manning

A few years ago, when Radek Bonk was still a member of the Ottawa Senators, I was told the following story.  I do not know for certain that it is true, but I like to think so. 

Bonk was living in a suburb of Ottawa.  A young boy & his family lived on the same street.  The boy, a big fan of the Senators, of course knew that one of his neighbours was a member of his favourite team and had seen Bonk on the street from time to time.  When the boy's birthday rolled around, he decided to invite Bonk to his party, so he dropped an invitation in Bonk's mailbox. 

On the day of the party, after all the other boys had arrived, the doorbell at the boy's house rung, and standing there was Radek Bonk - gift in hand.  As the story goes, Bonk stayed at the party for a couple of hours, participated in all the games, sang happy birthday & ate cake. 

Contrast this with the Deadspin report that Peyton Manning was paid $200,000 to appear at a girl's Sweet Sixteen party. 

"The first hour was the actual birthday ceremony which included Manning hiding behind a cake with a baker's hat on, then Manning took off the hat and surprised the birthday girl and the rest of the crowd. The second hour was Peyton standing next to a background and a professional photographer, where the entire party lined up to take pictures with him one by one. The pictures were printed and framed and given to the guests as they left."

Yuck.  The humorous commercials Manning appears in don't seem so funny any more - but this does.

Once again, hockey players turn up as the good guys in professional sports. 

The NHL: Choirboys of Pro Sports

In response to yesterday's HockeyDirt story on the NHL's image problems (Tarring the NHL with a Violent Brush), readers noted that the NHL's problems relate to the game itself. 

The NFL, NBA and other sports are plagued with off-field/off-court problems.  A glance at today's sports headlines reveals some of these problems, and make the NHL's woes look pretty tame by comparison. 

Kings suspend Artest after domestic violence arrest (NBA)

QB recruit suspended from spring practice (NCAA football)

Bengals LB sentenced for breaking into apartment (NFL)

Peyton Manning's Sweet 16 Party Cameo (NFL)

Hansbrough's nose broken during ugly scene late in win over Duke (NCAA basketball)

Commission upholds penalties against 4 teams caught cheating (NASCAR)

Inside the Steroid Sting (MLB)

Feaster Tops Forbes Ranking of NHL GMs

Forbes has compiled a list of the Best General Managers in Sports.  Kevin McHale, GM of the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves tops the list.  Unfortunately for GMs like Dave Taylor, Bobby Clarke & Mike Keenan, they could not use their ranking to save their jobs.

Here's how the NHL's GMs stack up. 

2 Jay Feaster Tampa Bay Lightning
5 Lou Lamoriello New Jersey Devils
6 Don Waddell Atlanta Thrashers
12 Glen Sather New York Rangers
14 Pierre LaCroix Colorado Avalanche
17 Jim Rutherford Carolina Hurricanes
18 Dave Taylor Los Angeles Kings
21 David Poile Nashville Predators
27 Bobby Clarke Philadelphia Flyers
37 Brian Burke Anaheim Ducks
44 Bob Gainey Montreal Canadiens
45 Kevin Lowe Edmonton Oilers
52 Doug MacLean Columbus Blue Jackets
55 Larry Pleau St. Louis Blues
56 Mike Keenan Florida Panthers
62 Craig Patrick Pittsburgh Penguins
63 Darcy Regier Buffalo Sabres
64 John Muckler Ottawa Senators
71 George McPhee Washington Capitals
73 Mike O'Connell Boston Bruins
76 Mike Milbury New York Islanders
80 Doug Armstrong Dallas Stars
81 Mike Barnett Phoenix Coyotes
88 Doug Risebrough Minnesota Wild
90 Ken Holland Detroit Red Wings

GMs with less than 3 years on the job were excluded from the study, so Toronto's John Ferguson Jr., Chicago's Dale Talon, Vancouver's Dave Nonis and a few others are not ranked.

Two criteria were used to come up with the rankings:  First, there's the performance (regular season winning percentage and postseason wins) during the GM's tenure versus the performance of his predecessor. Second, there's the GM's relative (to the league median) payroll compared with his predecessor's relative payroll.

Tarring the NHL with a Violent Brush

Listening to syndicated (American) sports radio talk about the Duke-North Carolina basketball game provides interesting insights into how hockey is perceived & portrayed on Fox & ESPN radio (and TV). 

During the basketball game, Duke's Gerald Henderson delivered a vicious elbow to Tarheel Center Tyler Hansbrough, breaking Hansbrough's nose.

On Fox this has led to comments like "of course North Carolina isn't going to retaliate - this isn't hockey" and comparisons of the incident to the Marty McSorley clubbing of Donald Brashear and Bertuzzi's thuggery. 

With hockey being routinely characterized as the seedy, violent underbelly of sport is it any wonder the NHL plays to half-empty (or worse) crowds in many markets or that the league cannot secure a major television deal in the US?

It also bears remembering that neither ESPN nor FOX Sports have broadcast agreements with the NHL.  As a result, it is not in the interests of either of network to promote the sport or the league.  Sports radio is entertainment, not journalism, so it should come as no shock that syndicated radio shows from Fox and ESPN pay little or no attention to hockey while blanketing the NFL, NBA, NASCAR and NCAA sports with coverage. 

The networks recognize that different sports are competing for "mind share" and that the NHL's gains come at the expense of NASCAR's or some other sport's "mind share", and vice versa.  As a result, these networks routinely characterize hockey as a marginal, violent and anachronistic game or, even worse, they ignore hockey and the NHL altogether.

Thus the NHL finds itself trapped in a vicious cycle.  American sports media outlets ignore or marginalize the sport; the league is unable to negotiate an attractive US TV deal; the big networks invest more time, money and talent into the NFL, NBA and the other sports they do broadcast; fewer and fewer new fans are drawn to the NHL; hockey & the NHL are further marginalized....

Sarcastic Hunter

Former NHLer Dale Hunter, now the co-owner (with brother Mark) and coach of the OHL's London Knights has been suspended by the league for two games.  Why?  According to Hunter, "I didn't swear -- I got it for being sarcastic." 

This has to be a first.  Sarcasm?  Does Hunter run the risk of having more games tacked on to his suspension for his sarcastic response? 

Fairwell?

SMYTH'S FAIRWELL ADDRESS 630 CHED Edmonton

Gudbuy Wryan.

Holey Slapshots

As others have noted, the Reebok 9ko (photo) is showing up in the hands of players like Pavel Datsyuk and Chris Neil (Neil can use any help he can get - 1 goal since Dec. 12).  Holes in the shaft of the 9ko reportedly make it 20% less wind resistant than solid shafts.  20%?

How long before blades with holes start showing up?