Hockeyfact

Fanfic Friday

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:47:35 -0400

I’ve been unable to blog about the news this week—though you all know the Blackhawks are moving on to the next round, right? :D —but I did manage to read some fan fiction.

In my opinion, the best fic of the week—hands down—is “The Rebel League” by ionthesparrow (Jeff Carter/Mike Richards, 55928 words). It’s the third and final installment of Hockey at the End of the World. This author is very skilled at writing exciting, action-packed plots, but this fic is carefully configured to convey complex, intense feelings, too. This story has some deeply important themes. It’s upsetting at times, but that’s what makes it so powerful.

I also want to recommend “Feel Your Heart Beating as Clearly as I Feel My Own” by nebulia (Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews, 7095 words). I really like the world of this story. The “rules”—for lack of a better word—of how ghosts work are interesting and unusual. I also like the end of the story; it’s not often an author achieves such a balance of ambiguity.

The third fic I wanted to share with you is “Lying, Waiting, or Dating? (This Is Not a Multiple Choice Exam, It’s Your Life)” by bestliar (Matt Hackett/Marco Scandella, 6110 words). The author of this story has a definite idea about what she wants to do, and I think that’s cool. And the characterization in this piece unfolds in a way that keeps you alert and wondering what comes next.

And we move on to the next round. :)

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:46:58 -0400

And we move on to the next round. :)

Three wins~

Thu, 09 May 2013 22:02:39 -0400

Three wins~

First loss. :(

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:30:31 -0400

First loss. :(

Announcement - Format Change?

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:04:48 -0400

Good news: I have a new job! It starts tomorrow.

Bad news: I work an additional 20 hours per week and have a longer commute. Plus, since my new job will actually require to pay attention, I won’t be able to spend work time reading gossipy hockey blogs.

What this means for the blog: I’m not sure yet. Probably I won’t be able to blog as often? We’ll figure it out. Heads up, though. ;)

The Calmness is Scary Sometimes

Sun, 05 May 2013 18:02:49 -0400

News for May 5.

Yesterday’s Games

Anaheim 4 - Detroit 0

This game took a sharp turn late in the second period, when the Red Wings’ Justin made an aggressive hit on the Ducks’ Toni Lydman and was given a major penalty for charging and a game misconduct. Lydman left the game, injured. On the resulting powerplay, Nick Bonino had a goal for the Ducks. Then, in the third period, the Ducks continued to control the game, scoring three more times. Abdelkader has a phone hearing scheduled for today with the disciplinary committee.

(And let me tell you, radio stations in the Detroit area will talk of nothing but that Abdelkader hit.)

New York Rangers 0 - Washington 1 (OT)

The league’s most dramatic goal of the night happened here.

The game went eight minutes into overtime before anyone scored. Finally, Mike Green, keeping his cool, had a powerplay goal and won the game for Washington. “We call him ‘Casual Mike’ every now and then,” said teammate Karl Alzner.

Toronto 4 - Boston 2

Boston’s Nathan Horton had the first goal of the game just after the second period started. But Joffrey Lupul scored twice for Toronto before the intermission. In the third period, Toronto held onto their lead, scoring twice and allowing Boston to get only one.

Before the game, Boston honored Marathon bombing survivor/hero Jeff Bauman.

St. Louis 0 - Los Angeles 1

The single goal of the game was by Slava Voynov and came at 4:56 into the second period. There has been much praise for Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who recovered from what he described as mistakes in the first two games of the series and had a perfect evening.

Injuries

Ducks: Toni Lydman was injured on a hit from the Red Wings’ Justin Abdelkader (see “Yesterday’s Games”). He has a sore neck and a migraine.

Good News

Canadiens: Lars Eller (concussion and facial fractures) was finally released from the hospital this afternoon.
Canucks: Cory Schneider (who had what the team called a “body injury”) has recovered and will play in goal tonight.
Rangers: Derek Dorsett (broken collarbone) returned for yesterday’s game.

Hiring & Firing

Wild: Stephane Veilleux, Mikael Granlund, and Jake Dowell were called up from the AHL Houston Aeros. Veilleux will replace Zenon Konpka in the lineup today.

Scandals

Remember when CSN Chicago’s Susannah Collins accidentally said that the Blackhawks have had a “tremendous amount of sex” (instead of “success”)? Well, now she’s been fired. CSN Chicago says she was released “due to circumstances unrelated to her on-air remarks Tuesday night”. Supposedly, it’s because Collins made a series of questionable humor videos. Still, surely CSN knew about the videos before Collins was hired in September. And according to the Chicago Tribune, Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz requested that she be fired.

Shit People Say

Senators coach Paul MacLean reponded to the Canadiens’ Brandon Prust, who called him a “bug-eyed, fat walrus” on Friday. “I might be husky,” MacLean said, “but I’m not fat.”

Sharks captain Joe Thornton explained his team’s success: “We’re a bunch of veterans. All of us have played in so many playoff games, the calmness is scary sometimes.”

Twitterpated

Erik Karlsson optimism watch: he’s unstoppable.
Looks like Patrick Kane is making healthier Cinco de Mayo choices this year.

Second win!

Sat, 04 May 2013 12:40:54 -0400

Second win!

Just in Case They Don't Know

Sat, 04 May 2013 10:41:54 -0400

News for May 4.

Yesterday’s Games

New York Islanders 4 - Pittsburgh 3

Against all expectations, the Islanders had a victory last night. Evgeni Malkin scored—and Sidney Crosby scored twice—for the Penguins in the first period, but by the end of the second, the Islanders had tied the score. Some are crediting the turnaround to a spirited fight by New York’s Kyle Okposo. (He went after Matt Niskanen after Niskanen made a hit on Matt Moulson.) Okposo also made the gamewinning goal at 12:23 of the third period—with an “assist” from Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury. D:)

It was the Islanders’ first playoff win in six years. “We just wanted to come out and let them know that we’re not going away,” Okposo said.

Their series is tied at 1-1.

Ottawa 1 - Montreal 3

The Canadiens made up for last night’s loss with a burst of brilliance in the second period. They had three goals (including rookie Brendan Gallagher’s second of the playoffs). Milan Michalek scored Ottawa’s only goal. In the third period, the teams held each other to the status quo, and Montreal won.

The best revenge is always victory, eh? “We saw our teammate, our friend, get hurt,” said Gallagher. “You have to understand how emotional that is for us.”

The Canadiens were tough as nails last night. Goalie Carey Price took a skate to the head and calmly skated over to the bench to drop off one of his teeth. (Senators goalie Craig Anderson lost teeth in Game 1, so maybe that’s going to be a theme of this series.)

As a footnote, Canadiens player 61 had a great game (four shots, four blocks, three hits, a +1, and more ice time than anybody but the goalie). “By the way, number 61 is Raphael Diaz,” coach Michel Therrien snarked. “Just in case they don’t know.”

Their series is also tied at 1-1.

Minnesota 2 - Chicago 5

Michael Frolik (Blackhawks) had the first two goals of the game. But Devin Setoguchi responded with one for the Wild, and the Blackhawks’ lead was a tenuous 2-1 going into the third period. Then Patrick Sharp had two goals, putting the Blackhawks far ahead. Marco Scandella narrowed the gap to 4-2 with three and a half minutes left. But the Blackhawks’ Bryan Bickell got a last-minute goal, and Chicago won 5-2. They outshot Minnesota 48-28.

The Blackhawks lead the series 2-0.

San Jose 3 - Vancouver 2 (OT)

This game went back and forth with a couple of exciting turns. Joe Thornton had a goal in the first period, and the Sharks led for most of the game. Then, just into the third period, the Canucks’ Ryan Kesler tied the score with a powerplay goal. Six minutes later, he put the Canucks up by one. But with less than a minute left, the Sharks’ Patrick Marleau tied the score again. The game went to overtime, where Raffi Torres won it for the Sharks.

The Sharks lead the series 2-0.

Hiring & Firing

Lightning: Cedric Paquette (QMJHL Blainville-Boisbriand Armada) has signed a three-year, entry-level contract.
Predators: Marek Mazanec (Czech Extraliga’s HC Škoda Plzeň) has signed a two-year, entry-level contract.
Red Wings: Brian Lashoff will replace Danny DeKeyser, who has a broken thumb.

Twitterpated

Mostly, everyone on Twitter last night was just talking about how great Sidney Crosby is.
But Erik Karlsson took a moment to respond to his critics.
And Peter Holland managed to slip in some snark.

First win!

Sat, 04 May 2013 01:02:28 -0400

First win!

Two games, two wins! :)

Sat, 04 May 2013 00:20:46 -0400

Two games, two wins! :)

Fanfic Friday

Fri, 03 May 2013 22:09:25 -0400

Here are five fics from this week that you are not allowed to not read.

“Afraid of Standing Still” by sherlockelly (Dany Heatley/Original Character, 25618 words). What I love best about this story is its acknowledgement that unpleasant feelings—guilt and grief and self-hate—are not easily healed, and that people who haven’t felt those things often don’t understand that. I also enjoyed the form of the piece: many stories that move back-and-forth between different times are disorienting, but this one flows beautiful and coherently. (As a side note, why aren’t there more stories about Dany Heatley? Is his backstory too tragic for fanfic?)

“Five Times Breezy Hooks Tracy Morgan Up with Good Advice (And One Time Tracy Hits Him Back)” by luxover (gen, 3074 words). This story cracks my shit up. Everyone is so well captured. And it’s not just ridiculousness—it actually has a point. Seriously, if the sun sets on you before you read this, you are doing yourself a disservice. (Oh, before I forget, there’s a prerequisite: watch this first.)

“I Want You [To Stay]” by zanzibar (Jordan Eberle/Taylor Hall/Ryan Whitney, 2718 words). I don’t know whether it was the author’s intention to write the saddest threesome porn in the history of the universe, but that’s what ended up happening. Well, it’s not really that the porn is sad—it’s that the frame story is heartbreaking. Read it and have feelings.

“Odd Man Rush” by hanet (Alex Galchenyuk/Brendan Gallagher/Brandon Prust, 11353 words). This is some of the best porn I have ever read, and let me tell you why. First of all, despite the fact that it pretends to be straight-up gratification, it has a clear storyline under the surface. Secondly—and more importantly—it’s full of really great feelings. Conflicting, uncomfortable, sexy, guilt-inducing, mesmerizing feelings. I like that there’s more going on than is explicitly stated.

“Shot Right Through with a Bolt of Blue” by mermaid (Patrick Kane/Jonathan Toews, 54722 words). This is a solid, all-‘round enjoyable fic. In this story, Toews has secrets, and his personality quirks fan out from his inner core of paranoia. It’s pretty interesting. The sex scene at the end had some elements that kinda seemed to come out of nowhere, but maybe that’s just me? You’ll have to see what you think. This is the kind of story that almost everyone enjoys, so you should definitely check it out. (Also, Erik Johnson has a cameo. EJ! I’m excited.)

First Blood

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:31:21 -0400

News for May 3.

What Happened to Lars Eller Last Night

The Game

This story starts at the Senators vs. Canadiens game, which incidentally had a final score of Ottawa 4 - Montreal 2.

Ottawa’s Erik Karlsson had the first goal at the end of the first period. Montreal responded with two in the second. But Ottawa took the game back in third, scoring three times. (I’m kind of agog over the symmetry of that…) And Ottawa goalie Craig Anderson stopped an amazing 48 shots.

The Hit

The real news of this game, though, is that Eric Gryba (Senators) left Lars Eller (Canadiens) unconscious and bleeding after a hit in the second period. Eller is concussed, had broken teeth and broken bones in his face, and spent all last night in the hospital. There was a great deal of blood. Gryba was given a game misconduct.

The Canadiens were upset. “I’m not sure where the contact was but obviously it wasn’t a clean play,” said Rene Bourque. Brendan Gallagher added, “It’s tough to see your teammate down, tough to see him hurt. You just want to pick him up the best you can.”

But Gryba said the hit was clean: “My elbow was down and there was no intent to hurt him whatsoever and I hope that he’s okay.”

Adding Insult to Injury

What really turned this into a shitstorm, however, was what Senators coach Paul MacLean said about the hit. He said that it wasn’t Gryba’s fault and implied that Eller should have kept his head up. MacLean added that Eller should blame his own teammate, Raphael Diaz, for the injury, since it was on a pass from Diaz that Eller was hit. He also seemed to struggle to remember Eller’s name—and he couldn’t remember Diaz’s name at all; he only referred to him by his number.

Then, this morning, the Ottawa Sun ran a cover depicting Eller bleeding profusely and in obvious distress. Over the photo was emblazoned the headline “First Blood Sens”. Not only did this prompt a lot of discussion about the complicated human feelings surrounding violence, it just plain made people spittin’ mad.

Another thing that pissed people off was that the NHL erased all the blood from their highlight video of the hit.

To make things worse, the Sharks’ Adam Burish tossed in his two (somewhat insensitive) cents: “I’d take a one-game suspension for that hit,” he said. “It was a game changer. One game? It was worth it.”

The Canadiens’ Reaction

Canadiens coach Michel Therrien was furious with MacLean, growling, “Inappropriate comment. No respect for the player on the ice who was bleeding. No respect for his family in the stands.”

More hilariously quotable, however, was Brandon Prust. He said of MacLean, “I don’t care what that bug-eyed, fat walrus has to say.”

NBC has helpfully provided us with a list of memorable NHL insults, to which Prust’s has been added.

The Result

Gryba was suspended for two games. However, respectable bloggers and analysts are still questioning whether the hit was even illegal.

I can’t wait to see what happens in Game 2. :/

Yesterday’s (Other) Games

New York Rangers 1 - Washington 3

Carl Hagelin had the first goal, and the Rangers went into the first intermission with a 1-0 lead. But the Capitals struck back in the second period with three goals of their own.

The Capitals’ Steve Oleksy bravely took a puck to the face. By the way, here’s an interesting little get-to-know-you article about Oleksy.

(And here’s a chance to be a middle-schooler with Deadspin.)

Los Angeles 1 - St. Louis 2

The Kings spent most of the game with a dubious 1-0 lead thanks to Dustin Brown. But the Blues’ Patrik Berglund tied the score just into the third period. With less than a minute left, Barret Jackman had the winning goal for St. Louis.

The Kings’ Dustin Brown had a knee-on-knee collision with the Blues’ Jaden Schwartz and might receive further discipline from the League.

Los Angeles goalie Jonathan Quick was injured during warm-ups but decided to play anyway. After the game, it was clear he blamed himself for Jackman’s goal. Quick kept saying, “I’ve got to stop that. I’ve got to stop that. It’s my fault. Two games in a row. I’ve got to be better.”

Detroit 5 - Anaheim 4

Halfway into the game, Detroit led 3-0. Saku Koivu scored one goal for the Ducks in the second period, but Johan Franzen negated it with his second goal of the night, just twenty seconds into the third. But the Ducks, in a fit of determination, came from behind to tie the score. But a last-minute penalty called on the Ducks’ Sheldon Souray checked their momentum and sent the game to overtime, where the Red Wings won.

(More) Bad Behavior

The Bruins’ Andrew Ference has been suspended one game for his hit on the Maple Leafs’ Mikhail Grabovski Wednesday night. Ference elbowed Grabovski in the head.

General Hockey News

The Hurricanes’ Eric Staal has been named captain of Canada’s men’s team for the World Hockey Championship. The Avalanche’s Paul Stastny will captain Team USA. Stastny’s NHL teammate, Gabriel Landeskog, will be an alternate captain for Sweden.

The Maple Leafs have called on Drew MacIntyre (AHL Toronto Marlies) to replace goalie Ben Scrivens tomorrow. Scrivens’s grandfather passed away, and he will be attending the funeral in Alberta.

Former NHLer Ron Francis has been inducted to the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame. He’s their first hockey player.

General Gossip

Pat Brisson, the agent of top draft prospect Seth Jones (WHL Portland Winterhawks), just wants everyone to know that Jones will not be represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation company.

MacTier, Muskoka town councillors have voted to consider a plan that would shut down their community hockey rink and turn it into a medical marijuana factory. Mayor Larry Braid says the project will create 20-30 jobs (in a town of about 1,000 people) and save taxpayers a lot of money.

The Maple Leafs did a good deed for a small Toronto fan with an unusual health condition.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault says the reason that the Canucks took only 43% of faceoffs in their first game against the Sharks is “the way [the Sharks] cheat and they are allowed to cheat”.

Srs Bsns

The Blackhawks announced a 16% price increase in season tickets today.

Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeffrey Vinik is shutting down his hedge fund and will now be returning all of his attention (and his investors’ money) to the Lightning and to his charity.

Injuries

Canadiens: Lars Eller has a concussion and broken facial bones (see “What Happened to Lars Eller Last Night”).
Maple Leafs: Kostka has a broken finger and is out indefinitely.
Red Wings: 1. Danny DeKeyser has a broken right thumb. 2&3. Justin Abdelkader and Johan Franzen left last night’s game—Abdelkader after being cross-checked and Franzen after being hit in the nuts with a puck. Both returned to the game.
Sharks: Martin Havlat left Wednesday’s game early after being speared in the testicles by the Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa. The team won’t comment on his status, but he’s not playing tonight. (Bieksa “doesn’t remember” doing it, but the Sharks’ Adam Burish said it “doesn’t surprise me, coming from [Bieksa].”)

Good News

Capitals: Joel Ward (knee) returned last night.
Penguins: Sidney Crosby (broken jaw) returns tonight!

Twitterpated

Carrie Underwood posts a flattering picture of her husband. He explains what’s going on behind the scenes in the photo.
Jonathan Huberdeau makes a promise.
Jason Jaffray posts a picture of something he thinks is “#creepy”, and I have to agree.
Oh, and a lot of people are talking about the #bugeyedfatwalrus.

We Weren't Too Cute, We Weren't Too Fancy

Thu, 02 May 2013 10:46:34 -0400

News for May 2.

Yesterday’s Games

Toronto 1 - Boston 4

The Maple Leafs’ James van Riemsdyk had a goal not two minutes into the game—but it was downhill for there, as the Bruins scored twice in the first period, and twice more in the second. The Leafs managed to hold them to four but couldn’t catch up.

The third period was full of roughing, fighting, and misconduct penalties. Toronto’s Leo Komarov and Boston’s Chris Kelly ended the game with a fistfight. But that wasn’t all for the shenanigans. Boston’s Andrew Ference elbowed Toronto’s Mikhail Grabovski in the head; Ference will meet with the Player Safety Committee today.

Also, Boston’s Brad Marchand took a hack at van Riemsdyk. Why? “He speared me in the privates,” Marchand accused.

New York Islanders 0 - Pittsburgh 5

The Penguins slaughtered the Islanders, scoring twice in the first period and starting the second period with two goals that were 30 seconds apart. The Islanders switched goalie Evgeni Nabokov out for Kevin Poulin, but that didn’t stop the Penguins from scoring again. Two of Pittsburgh’s goals were from Pascal Dupuis.

Toward the end of the game, the Islanders’ Marty Reasoner was penalized for kneeing the Penguins’ Jussi Jokinen, and the resulting fight left Reasoner with a game misconduct and six other players (three from each team) with misconduct penalties.

San Jose 3 - Vancouver 1

The Canucks’ Kevin Bieksa opened the scoring midway through the second period, but the Sharks took over from there. Logan Couture tied the score before the end of the second period, and the Sharks had two more goals in the third. “We weren’t too cute, we weren’t too fancy,” said San Jose’s Dan Boyle. “We did what we had to do.”

Injuries

Blue Jackets: Marian Gaborik will have surgery for an abdominal injury and won’t be able to play for Slovakia at the World Championships.
Penguins: James Neal left last night’s game after being checked by the Islanders’ Travis Hamonic. He appeared to have an ankle injury.
Sharks: Martin Havlat left last night’s game with an undisclosed injury.
Wild: The team confirmed that Niklas Backstrom has a lower-body injury. It is believed to be a groin or hip injury.

Srs Bsns

The NHL announced that the Blackhawks and Penguins will play their March 1, 2014 game at Chicago’s Soldier Field (i.e. outdoors).

The Kings will host two games in Las Vegas this September, one against the Rangers and one against the Avalanche.

General Gossip

Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino will not be placing a bet on the Bruins and Maple Leafs’ playoff series. Ford offered, but Menino didn’t think it was appropriate, given recent events in Boston. That’s okay with Ford—“What happened down there is a lot more important than a hockey game,” he said.

Shit People Say

Interviewed after Tuesday’s game against the Blackhawks, Wild goalie Josh Harding repeatedly refused to comment on his multiple sclerosis, being an inspiration, how hard he had to work to get to that point, etc. He also refused to tell reporters what he was thinking about before the game: “What I do is my business,” he said. His coach, Mike Yeo, said, “Good for him.”

Some people don’t know when to cut their losses. Last night, Don Cherry defended his comments about women in male dressing rooms. He acknowledged that when he was coaching, he allowed female reporters in his locker room. But he added, “I’ll tell you why I’ve changed my mind. I have seen things and I have heard of things that go on in the dressing room when the women are in there [that] are disgusting.” Broadcast partner Ron MacLean made the counterargument: “It’s an office space. …The reporters have to have their workplace.” But Cherry said, “I don’t care what it is. I don’t think women should be in there.”

Stuff to Watch

The Stanley Cups Playoffs opening promo from CBC Sports/Hockey Night in Canada. In case you’d forgotten that hockey is a religious experience.
The Sharks announcers mock the Green Men at last night’s game against the Canucks.

Twitterpated

Stories

I didn’t share it at the time, because I thought, “Hey, who doesn’t think this?” but now it’s making headlines: Mike Commodore has some opinions about Pierre McGuire.
He’s not the only one.
Paul Bissonnette tried his hand at a play-by-play of the Leafs/Bruins game.
Stefan Legein lost his dog. Looks like he’s handling it appropriately, though.
Jim Slater’s bedtime story problem.

Happy People

Nail Yakupov speaks Russian, English, and the universal language of emoticons.
Erik Karlsson is so ridiculously happy about everything lately, it’s starting to make me suspicious.

Earn Your Stripes

Wed, 01 May 2013 11:14:34 -0400

News for May 1.

Media Gaffes

Susannah Collins of CSN Chicago reported last night that the Blackhawks have had “a tremendous amount of sex”.

Meanwhile, this Deadspin photo of the Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane flipping off the camera turns out not to be a photo of Patrick Kane.

The New York Post reported that the Islanders’ marketing team might change the team’s colors. The Post cobbled together an upsetting/hilarious picture of how this new uniform might look, “modeled” by John Tavares. Hipster heaven, hmm?

Yesterday’s Games

Minnesota 1 - Chicago 2 (OT)

Cal Clutterbuck had a goal early in the game, and the Wild held the lead until Marian Hossa had a powerplay goal early in the second period to tie the score. In the third, the Blackhawks’ Jonathan Toews hit the puck into the net, but it wasn’t counted as a goal; the Chicago crowd was furious. The game went to overtime, where Bryan Bickell scored for Chicago after 16 minutes.

There was a funny moment in the third period when the Wild’s Mike Rupp suffered a broken skate. The blade snapped off, and he had to crawl off the ice. He laughed about it afterward.

Los Angeles 1 - St. Louis 2 (OT)

This game was even more of a nailbiter. Alexander Steen (Blues) had a goal in the first period. It looked like the Blues would win in regulation, but Justin Williams scraped together a goal for the Kings with only 30 seconds left.

However, the Blues won 13 minutes into overtime when Steen grabbed a sassy, shorthanded goal. Teammate Kevin Shattenkirk had just been sent to the penalty box on a double-minor, and the Blues were expecting the worst. “My heart sank a little bit there,” Shattenkirk said. But Steen stole the puck from Kings goalie Jonathan Quick, who was handling it behind the net, and backhanded it in.

Detroit 1 - Anaheim 3

The Ducks had the first goal midway through the first period, thanks to Nick Bonino; Daniel Cleary answered for Detroit a few minutes later. But in the third period, the Ducks retook the lead with goals by Teemu Selanne and Francois Beauchemin.

Scandals

The Canadiens’ Nathan Beaulieu, along with his father, Jacques, has been charged with two counts of assault. They were in a fight at a house party outside of Strathroy, ON, and two people were injured. One of the victims is a former player of Jacques. (See yesterday’s news post for more details.)

Rangers coach John Tortorella is frustrated that his relationship with former Rangers player Marian Gaborik (now of the Blue Jackets) has been portrayed in the media as a difficult one. The latest insult: some are saying that Tortorella approved Gaborik’s trade to Columbus because he didn’t like him. “Don’t give me any shit about my relationship with Gabby,” he said yesterday. “Because it’s wrong and unfair to both of us.”

Hiring & Firing

Predators: Patric Hornqvist re-signed with the team for five years.
Brian Rolston officially retired yesterday. Rolston split the 2011-12 season between the Islanders and the Bruins; he did not play this season. He is 40 years old.

Injuries

Kings: Robyn Regehr’s face was cut by the Blues’ David Backes’s skate last night. Regehr returned to the game a few minutes later.
Wild: Niklas Backstrom suffered a leg injury during last night’s warmup and was replaced by backup Josh Harding.

Good News

Blues: TJ Oshie (fractured ankle) returned last night, bumping rookie Vladimir Tarasenko from the lineup.

General Gossip

The Blackhawks’ Patrick Kane is continuing his playoff mullet tradition, and this year he’s dragging rookie Brandon Saad along. They went to the barber together on Monday. Kane’s mullet has three racing stripes, but he only allowed Saad to have two. “You have to earn your stripes,” Saad explained.

Cosmo made a list of Hottest Guys of the NHL Playoffs. The Blackhawks’ Patrick Sharp leads the list, of course. What’s more surprising is that his teammate, Patrick Kane, was second. Obviously the voters at Cosmo have not seen the new mullet yet.

A construction worker who is also a Canadiens fan sneakily dropped a Canadiens puck into the foundation of the new Quebec City arena. Take that, eternal intercity rivalry.

Twitterpated

The Blackhawks won their first game of the playoffs! :D So...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:48:20 -0400

The Blackhawks won their first game of the playoffs! :D So I’m wearing a red bracelet instead of a black one.

You can see by the photo that I’m not very good at either making friendship bracelets or putting on nail polish. Luckily I am very good at having team spirit.

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:33:57 -0400

Photo

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:33:35 -0400

darryl-love-zhenya reblogged your post: No Guarantees JUST COME TO QUÉBEC ALREADY!!!! I know,...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:26:00 -0400

darryl-love-zhenya reblogged your post: No Guarantees

JUST COME TO QUÉBEC ALREADY!!!!

I know, right?!

No Guarantees

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 11:21:00 -0400

News for April 30.

The Draft

At last night’s Draft Lottery, the Avalanche were awarded first pick. They’re expected to take top-ranked prospect Seth Jones, a defenseman for the WHL Portland Winterhawks. Still, Colorado’s Director of Amateur Scouting, Rick Pracey, also sounded excited about Nathan MacKinnon and Jonathan Drouin (both from the QMJHL Halifax Mooseheads). Jones “is not a slam dunk decision by any means,” Pracey said.

If the Avs do choose Jones, he will be the first defenseman to go first since 2006, when the Blues chose Erik Johnson (now an Avalanche player). The last one before Johnson was the Senators’ Chris Phillips in 1996. Analysts don’t have particularly good things to say about either one of those choices. 3:

Also, the Devils announced that they will keep their first-round pick for 2013. This means that they will not have a first-round pick next year, as part of a penalty they were given in 2010 for squirming their way around salary cap rules to sign Ilya Kovalchuk.

Scandals

The Beaulieus

Jacques Beaulieu, head coach and GM of the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, has been charged with two counts of assault after an incident that occurred this weekend at a home just outside of Strathroy, Ontario. Police will only say that it happened after a charity golf tournament and that the investigation “has some newsworthy elements”. Beaulieu’s son, the Canadiens’ Nathan Beaulieu, is being investigated in the same incident; he has not yet been charged with anything.

Don Cherry

CBC announced that Don Cherry’s comments regarding women in sports locker rooms are his own, not CBC’s—but they do not intend to discipline him. CBC Head of Media Relations Chuck Thompson said that it was a balanced discussion of the issue because Cherry’s co-sportscaster Ron MacLean disagreed with Cherry’s opinion.

Former hockey writer Robin Herman wrote a public letter to Cherry yesterday, pointing out that Cherry was the first coach in the NHL to allow female reporters in the locker room. “You were my hero,” she writes.

For those of you who enjoy getting angry, The Hockeynews has provided a timeline of Cherry’s more controversial remarks.

Shit People Say

Sabres GM Darcy Regier told fans that in order for the Sabres to rebuild, “It may require some suffering.” He added, “I understand our fan base. And I would like to think that people will give up some suffering in order to win the Stanley Cup.”

The Sharks’ Tommy Wingels spoke out in support of NBA player Jason Collins, who as of yesterday is the first openly gay active male athlete in North American major league sports. (I know, that’s a lot of qualifiers—but it’s still a Big Deal.) “It is a monumental day,” Wingels sad. He added, “For an athlete to feel comfortable in his sport says a lot.”

Predators coach Barry Trotz had some strong criticism for two of his players this season. He told the Examiner.com that the team “expected production from Sergei [Kostitsyn] and Craig Smith and we got none.” He went on, “Craig Smith and Sergei were on power plays all year. I did it to try to get them going. I tried different things to get those guys going.”

Srs Bsns

This season, the NHL sold more Jonathan Toews (Blackhawks) jerseys than jerseys for any other player.

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly gave an update on the Coyotes yesterday. The league is currently in negotiations with a group headed by Canadian businessman George Gosbee, but Daly says there are other interested parties who may make a bid for the team. He also said that the team’s purchase price will be over $150 million and that “there are no guarantees” that the team will stay in the area. In fact, he called Glendale a “big question mark”.

General Gossip

A team from Vladivostok, Russia will join the KHL. The team will be taking suggestions for a name and emblem on Primorsky Territory Governor Vladimir Miklushevsky’s website.

Fun Videos

TSN’s sportscasters made a Hangover spoof.

Twitterpated

Dustin Penner keeps it real.

"Whether it’s a free country or not, you should be free to act as you want to do as long as..."

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 10:27:28 -0400

“Whether it’s a free country or not, you should be free to act as you want to do as long as it’s not violent. No matter what it is. I came here in a Cookie Monster shirt because I wanted to, and I was going to wear the pants. But I thought you guys were going to judge me. I was going to wear the hat too. But I thought you guys would judge me. I didn’t want Mitch [Kupchak] to judge me. So that’s why I didn’t wear the hats and the pants. But I should’ve wore it. You should be free to do and act how you want to act.”

- Metta World Peace at a press conference on April 29, 2013, reacting to fellow NBA player Jason Collins coming out. (Source: Deadspin, 4/30/2013.)