Let me tell you a story. I was living in Toronto between 2001 and 2003, 2002 being the year that Toronto came thisclose to playing in the Stanley Cup final. After the Eastern Conference semis, Toronto was the only Canadian team was left and it was a big deal. Toronto began their Eastern Conference finals […]
The United States and Canadian Olympic teams are the only two hockey teams in Vancouver comprised entirely of NHL players. That’s probably a big part of what made yesterday’s US victory over Canada such a fun game to watch. Except that when you think about it, we’re ALWAYS watching NHL vs. NHL games so it’s […]
There’s a lot in life to be angry about: taxes, traffic jams, when the college kids next door throw beer cans and cigarette butts over a 6-foot fence into your backyard, stuff like that. So in the grand scheme of things, does missing the first period of a preliminary Olympic ice hockey game matter? Clearly […]
In pretty much all types of sport, shots or blows to the head or neck are a major, and often suspendable, offense. The reasoning is clear: brains are really, really important. We kind of need them. To live. I have a theory that hockey is abandoning the idea of mutual respect; when players understood they […]
I was at a gathering last August and, not knowing many people, I stood alone in the kitchen waiting for a conversation to jump into. After a while, two older guys started talking about the Flyers so I had to ask what they thought about the Chris Pronger trade which went down a couple months […]
The Olympic break is here, and not a moment too soon, both for busted up hockey players and myself, a busted up hockey fan. There are 1230 hockey games a year, NOT including playoffs. That’s a lot of hockey. Here are some things you might have missed if you were buried under 4 feet of […]
Perhaps you’ve heard: the Caps had their recording-breaking win streak snapped last night in Montreal. I’m not as upset as many people because 14 games? Tied for 3rd in the history of NHL winning streaks? I can’t even be upset because I’m too busy still being psyched. But the victory, in my mind, isn’t the […]