Hard Times for Soft Forwards
Wednesday January 30, 2008
If you can score a bit but don't hit much, the NHL trade rumor market wants you!
Every year, the same occasionally brilliant, occasionally invisible forwards find their names being tossed ... Read More
Eric Staal Drives a Deal
Sunday January 27, 2008
I'm willing to make my peace with the useless NHL All Star Game. Someone on TV pointed out that the kids love it, and that's a good enough reason to ... Read More
Krusty's Revenge
Saturday January 26, 2008
As if another season from hell wasn't bad enough, Maple Leaf fans have one more reason to despair: Daniel Alfredsson is atop the NHL scoring race.
Besides cheering on their hapless ... Read More
The Terminal Boredom of the All Star Game
Wednesday January 23, 2008
My favorite All Star memory: the year Pavel Bure skipped the last 10 minutes so he could catch an early flight out of town. You can't blame him. The whole ... Read More
Human Sacrifice in Toronto
Tuesday January 22, 2008
The Maple Leaf mob finally has what it's been screaming for: the general manager's head on a platter:
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired GM John Ferguson and replaced him on ... Read More
Goal of the Year: The Latest Candidate
Sunday January 20, 2008
Back in October we nominated an amazing play by Jonathan Toews as the 2007-08 NHL Goal of the Year.
As of Thursday, Toews has a challenger in Rick Nash (right), the ... Read More
NHL Anniversaries: The Good
Friday January 18, 2008
He's been called the Jackie Robinson of hockey. Willie O'Ree takes pride in the title, but back in 1964 he pointed out that it's not a perfect comparison:
"They've called me ... Read More
NHL Anniversaries: The Bad
Thursday January 17, 2008
His name is called every year at the NHL Awards show. But most players and fans likely have no idea who Bill Masterton was or why the league named a ... Read More
The NHL's Traffic Accident
Tuesday January 15, 2008
As you might learn to live with chronic back pain or a persistent fungus, the rest of Canada has learned to live with the Maple Leaf Nation.
The Toronto Maple Leafs ... Read More
Are Alex and Sid Ready to Rule?
Thursday January 10, 2008
So now the stakes are raised on all fronts.
Alexander Ovechkin's massive new contract, announced Thursday in Washington, averages $9.5 million per year for 13 seasons.
That trumps Sidney Crosby's deal in ... Read More
Hockey's Dark Knight Strikes Again
Wednesday January 9, 2008
Almost everyone hates Bob Clarke. Bob cares not. You'll have to look far and wide to find a man with less regard for public opinion.
TSN knows this, so the Canadian ... Read More
All Star Voting: Maybe the Fans Aren't So Stupid After All
Tuesday January 8, 2008
More than a few sportswriters believe fans shouldn't vote for the NHL All Stars. The fans, they argue, are too stupid or too biased to make the correct choices.
There are ... Read More
4-on-4 Overtime: The Shootout Solution
Sunday January 6, 2008
Anxiety rippled across Canada on Saturday as fans watched their team blow a two-goal lead. A Swedish comeback forced sudden-death overtime in the Gold Medal game at the World Junior ... Read More
So Who's Playing Next Year?
Wednesday January 2, 2008
You can bet we haven't seen the last of the NHL in the great outdoors.
The Winter Classic was something of a gamble for the league. But if a snowy, blustery ... Read More
"We're Still Tied. More Snow Coming."
Tuesday January 1, 2008
NBC's Mike Emrick was more weatherman than sportscaster on New Year's Day.
Besides calling the play between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, he tracked the low pressure system that dominated the NHL's Winter ... Read More
Hockey New Year in Buffalo
Tuesday January 1, 2008
The Penguins prevailed at the 2008 NHL Winter Classic at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo. Pittsburgh beat the Sabres 2-1 in a shootout after Buffalo had dominated long stretches of ... Read More