LATEST STORIES FROM PUCK DADDY

The 2012 NHL Defensive All-Star Roster: What if it wasn’t all about scoring?

One of the more frequent criticisms lobbied against the NHL All-Star game is that there isn't much defense. Well, duh. First of all, a low-scoring game would be a letdown, especially considering the names involved. Second, very few of the players selected earn their spot due to their defensive acumen. Sure, there are outliers like Dan Girardi, but the game is about the league...
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January 26, 2012  |  Discuss

If Blue Jackets trade Jeff Carter, shouldn’t management follow him out of Columbus?

According to Columbus Dispatch beat writer Aaron Portzline, two significant pieces of news emerged from last week's meeting of the Columbus Blue Jackets' owners. The first is that Jeff Carter is on the trading block seven months after he was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers. The second is that the men who made that trade — team president Mike Priest and GM Scott Howson...
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January 26, 2012  |  Discuss

TSN admits announcer Dave Hodge’s ‘KKK’ Tim Thomas tweet was ‘in poor taste’

When Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas opted not to attend a White House celebration of his team's 2011 Stanley Cup championship, the reactions were all over the map. Some lauded the boldness of his Federal government protest. Some called him selfish. Some attempted to mine humor from the controversy. TSN's veteran announcer Dave Hodge? He decided to make a joke about the...
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January 26, 2012  |  Discuss

Chatting with the amateur goalie that ‘ruined’ the 2009 NHL All-Star Game skills competition

Don Cherry was troubled. It was late January 2009. Wearing a pink sport coat that made him resemble a flamingo impersonating a maître d'hôtel, Canada's most famous hockey commentator focused his ire on the NHL All-Star Game Skills Competition in Montreal that weekend; specifically, on the "Breakaway Challenge" trick-shooting contest that only saw five pucks actually...
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January 26, 2012  |  Discuss

Who will be the last pick of the 2012 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft?

Oh, Phil … The 2012 NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft is scheduled for Thursday night, as Team Zdeno Chara (with Joffrey Lupul!) and Team Daniel Alfredsson (with Henrik Lundqvist!) select their rosters. In the process, they'll determine which NHL star forward will be sitting all by his lonesome while his peers take cell phone pictures of him for Twitter. From the NHL: A coin...
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January 26, 2012  |  Discuss

Wednesday’s Three Stars: Three-point nights for Desharnais, Cole as Habs down Red Wings

No. 1 Star: David Desharnais, Montreal Canadiens Desharnais came within a goal of a hat trick with a 2-goal, one assist night as the Canadiens downed the Detroit Red Wings 7-2. He now has 14 points in his last 12 games and passed his career high in goals with his eighth and ninth of the year. No. 2 Star: Erik Cole, Montreal Canadiens Cole tallied a point in each period as his goal...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Puck Previews: Habs, Red Wings meet; Summit Series anniversary game?

Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. • If you were wondering what The Igloo in Pittsburgh currently looks like as they slowly bring the place down, here it is looking like one giant irritated...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Vladimir Putin wants meeting with NHL for 2014 Sochi Games

How much do the Russians really want NHL players to participate in the Sochi Winter Olympics in 2014? "A lot" would be an understatement. This is now of the highest priority with the Russian Prime Minister (and the future President) of Russia Vladimir Putin, who called on the Russian Minister of Sport to organize a meeting with the NHL. "I have asked Minister of Sport...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Antero Niittymaki, waived by Sharks: ‘I don’t want to be in this organization at all anymore’

Oh, the stresses and strains of the family vacation. Arguments about the radio. Kids in the backseat asking "are we there yet?" And, of course, that moment when a Finnish sportswriter calls up and informs you that you're on waivers before your NHL employer does. Such was the case for San Jose Sharks goaltender Antero Niittymaki's vacation to Lake Tahoe, according...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Capitals forward Matt Hendricks’ severed ear enters the pantheon of grotesque hockey injuries

This is the ear of Washington Capitals forward Matt Hendricks, all nice and stitched up. It wasn't always like that. In fact, when an Alex Ovechkin shot ricocheted off the glass in practice on Saturday, the puck caught Hendricks in the ear and he "quite surprisingly began bleeding profusely from his right ear and the surrounding area," in the words of Mike Vogel of...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Puck Headlines: Liles re-signs; More Thomas backlash; Did Gomez score?

• This seems like as good a time as any to caption this photo. Keep it classy, friends. • One team source on Tim Thomas: "[Expletive] selfish [expletive].'' One assumes the expletives aren't "totally un-" and "team player", respectively. [Boston.com] • If you want to read every criticism of Tim Thomas, Justin Bourne's rounded them...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Panthers could owe $30.8 million to Florida for not turning arena into homeless shelter

Every state has laws on the books that are neglected or ignored until some opportunist decides to enforce them. Remember how that guy from Texas tried to end the "sick, ugly tradition" of octopus tossing in Detroit through the 1982 Michigan Bodies of Dead Animals Act? Yeah, that was weird. Here's another arcane law: In 1988, the Florida legislature passed a measure...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Marek Vs. Wyshynski Radio: Should NHL dump All-Star Game? Plus Ken Daniels on Wings, Boston vs. Thomas

It's a Wednesday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT, and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Ken Daniels, play by play voice of your Detroit Red Wings, discusses your Detroit Red Wings. • In which Marek and Wysh discuss whether the All-Star Game is really worth the trouble. • The Boston media piles on Timmy Thomas...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

The Player: Why NHL players rejected realignment, and why the backlash was worth it

(The Player is an active member of a National Hockey League team. Anonymous by choice, he will provide insights about life in hockey on occasion throughout the season.) "It is unfortunate that the NHLPA has unreasonably refused to support a Plan that an overwhelming majority of our Clubs voted to support, and that has received such widespread support from our fans and...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Puck Daddy Hockey Rumors Live Chat!

John-Michael Liles is close to a multi-year extension with the Toronto Maple Leafs ... is there a trade afoot? What about for struggling teams near or under the playoff bubble? Please join us beginning at NOON ET/9 a.m. PT today for our weekly chat that includes a revolving door of panelists like Lyle (Spector) Richardson of Spector's Hockey; David "Dave" Pagnotta of...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

James Neal, Carl Hagelin, Raphael Diaz added to All-Star Weekend; Adam Larsson out due to injury

James Neal leads the Pittsburgh Penguins with 27 goals, putting him second in the National Hockey League (tied with Jonathan Toews) behind Steven Stamkos. But until Wednesday morning, James Neal was not an NHL All-Star. For all the controversy Alex Ovechkin caused by pulling out of the midseason classic, it had a positive consequence: Neal taking his roster spot and joining teammates...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Lightning dismiss ThunderBug after Silly String incident with Boston Bruins fan

Tampa Bay Lightning mascot ThunderBug became a cult hero last week when he shot Silly String on a Boston Bruins fan at Bolts home game, sparking a physical altercation between the Bug and the B's fan that shocked a nation. OK, not so much "shocked" as "made giggle." In the aftermath of that video, Revelation No. 1 courtesy of WTSP in Tampa Bay: ThunderBug...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Revenge of the J.J. Abrams-inspired NHL Action Movie FX clips! (Video)

Now, while we would never condone dropping a large demolition ball at center ice during the singing of "O Canada," we would like to point out that the on-ice officials were crushed along with the Ottawa Senators … As we mentioned earlier this month, J.J. Abrams helped create an iPhone app called Action Movie FX that turns ordinary video clips into epic summer blockbuster...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Tuesday’s Three Stars: Grabo’s big night; Perreault’s trick; dancing Bobrovsky; Pam Anderson in Vancouver

No. 1 Star: Mikhail Grabovski, Toronto Maple Leafs Grabovski factored on all four of the Leafs' goals in their 4-3 win over the New York Islanders. He scored his 16th of the season in the third period, only to see P.A. Parenteau send the game to overtime with 13 seconds left in regulation. He also had the primary assists on goals by Jake Gardiner (his first career tally) and...
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January 25, 2012  |  Discuss

Did Blues’ Barret Jackman prey on Matt Cooke’s reputation for boarding call? (Video)

With just over a minute remaining in regulation and the teams tied 2-2 on Tuesday night, Barret Jackman of the St. Louis Blues went to play the puck in the corner. Matt Cooke of the Pittsburgh Penguins was right on his tail and delivered a check. What happened next is a point of some controversy: Cooke, who was given a two-minute minor on the play, made contact with Jackman'...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss

Alex Ovechkin clearly not suspended from giving shaving cream pies to the face (Video)

The Washington Capitals were without Alex Ovechkin, serving a 3-game suspension,  and the injured Nicklas Backstrom and Mike Green against the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night. They needed someone to step up; Mathieu Perreault did just that, tallying his first career hat trick in a 5-3 win. His reward? A shaving cream pie from his captain Ovechkin, and the searing eye discomfort that...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss

Puck Previews: Louis Vuitton goalie mask; Turris back in Glendale; Malkin vs. Blues

Back by popular demand, here are your Puck Previews: Spotlighting the key games in NHL action, news and views as well as general frivolity. Make sure to stop back here for the nightly Three Stars when the games are finished. The Louis Vuitton goalie mask: The moment when Sean Avery cursed himself for never attending that Rick St. Croix school as a young player. For the sake of...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss

Here’s Red Wings great Darren McCarty trying to pawn 14-foot alligator (Video)

Last September, we told you about Darren McCarty's rather interesting career move: Working for American Jewelry and Loan in Detroit, a pawnshop featured on the truTV series "Hardcore Pawn." On Tuesday night's episode, we get to see how the former Detroit Red Wings grinder got the gig, but not before we see Darren McCarty try to pawn a 14-foot taxidermied alligator...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss

Hockey rink roof collapses moments after Richard Zednik, youth players leave ice (Video)

Former NHL forward Richard Zednik is an ambassador for hockey in his native Slovakia. He was in Námestovo on Sunday, skating with youth players inside a rink that opened last November, when something absolutely catastrophic and quite horrific occurred. Ice pieces began to fall from the roof as the training session was ongoing. With Zednik and the children cleared from rink, the...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss

Puck Headlines: Brian Elliott All-Star mask; Mario statue; Ference on Tim Thomas White House snub

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Via Dave Hutchison of InGoal Magazine, Brain Elliott's new mask is a "one-off 'memento' mask still features the Casey Jones character from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on one side, while...
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January 24, 2012  |  Discuss
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