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Tuesday's Three Stars: Canucks' latest trick; Wings fold [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:32 am] No. 1 star: Mikael Samuelsson(notes), Vancouver Canucks After playing 531 career regular-season games without a hat trick, Samuelsson scored three goals in the second period alone as the Canucks erased deficits of 3-0 and 4-1 in what would conclude as a 6-4 victory. The Canucks won for a league-leading 10th time when trailing after two periods, not surprising when you realize they've been outscored 25-6 in the first period during their arduous road trip. Samuelsson, who scored twice on rebounds in close and also assisted on Daniel Sedin's(notes) empty-netter, has been critical of the team's tendency to fall behind. Hats off to the Swedish Olympic snub. No. 2 star: Jarome Iginla(notes), Calgary Flames A 4-2 win allowed Calgary to leapfrog Detroit in the race to eliminate San Jose from the playoffs for the final postseason spot out West. We'll expend a "did you know" bullet early here: Iginla's third-period, game-tying goal was his first against Detroit since March of 2004. About 90 seconds later he batted a puck out of the air and off the leg of teammate Rene Bourque(notes) for what held up as the game-winner. No. 3 star: Scott Gomez(notes), Montreal Canadiens Gomez led a balanced attack with one goal and two assists in a 5-3 victory over the desperate Lightning. Gomez, who has 15 points in 11 games dating back to early February, was involved in the scoring of Montreal's first three goals, as the Habs chased Antero Niittymaki(notes) before the midway mark of the second period. Honorable Mention: Getting another shot to provide stability in the Nashville net, Dan Ellis(notes) made 30 saves in a 2-1 win over Atlanta to strengthen the Preds' hold on No. 7 in the West. … Nice homecoming for Toronto native Luca Caputi(notes), who scored to force overtime in his first home game in a Leafs sweater, an eventual 4-3 win. … Steven Stamkos(notes) set a Tampa franchise record with his 17th power-play goal and extended his team-record point streak t Video: Ryan Whitney's cross-check to the noggin of Chris Neil [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 10, 2010, 12:01 am] If we're going to ban hits to the head in the NHL, then Step 1 is giving every referee an anatomy text book.As the Sportsnet announcers mention at the end of the following clip, referee Brad Meier was arguing with Ottawa Senators Coach Cory Clouston that Sens forward Chris Neil(notes) had been cross-checked on the arm by Edmonton Oilers defenseman Ryan Whitney(notes) in the first period of Tuesday night's 4-1 Ottawa win. Which would be true if Neil's arm was on the side of his head like the Rachel Dratch mutant baby from SNL:Whitney was given a 2-minute minor for cross-checking, which is simply farcical. The only way he's not getting at least a double-minor there is if Meier ascribed to the "like Ryan Whitney would ever do that" defense. Neil ended up playing 14:21 for the game without recording a point or a shot. No word if he kept bumping Jeff Deslauriers like a broken jukebox for the rest of the game after Whitney made him hear lumber. Stick tap to the unstoppable Daywalk3r for the clip. Puck Previews: B's, Leafs battle; Milbury sees no Cooke discipline [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 5:09 pm] 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.Preview: Boston Bruins at Toronto Maple Leafs, 7 p.m. EST. Boston plays their first game since the Matt Cooke(notes) his on Marc Savard(notes) and they will also be without Zdeno Chara(notes) as he's day-to-day with a "lower-body injury". For the Leafs, Luca Caputi(notes) will find himself promoted to the top line alongside Phil Kessel(notes) (pointless in all four meetings against Boston this season) and Tyler Bozak(notes) in his first home game with Toronto. Tim Thomas(notes) will be in goal for Boston, while Jonas Gustavsson(notes) is expected to get the start for the Leafs. And might we see Colton Orr(notes) and Milan Lucic(notes) dance again? Preview: Vancouver Canucks at Colorado Avalanche, 9 p.m. EST. With both teams separated by two points, this Northwest Division battle is key for both teams as we hit the final month of the season. Vancouver is winding down their 14-game road trip and will finally return home on Saturday night, while the Avalanche enter tonight 2-2-0 since the NHL resumes last week. Vancouver has outscored Colorado 16-4 in their past three meetings this season and look to continue that trend and extend their divisional lead. Watch this game live on Y! Sports Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page.Evening Reading• An armed man stole an unknown amount of cash from a Buffalo-area Auntie Anne's mall pretzel stand and then swiped a Sidney Crosby(notes) jersey from another store's office before escaping. [Buffalo News] s/t to David C. for sending that in• Plans for the 2010 Pinstripe Bowl were finalized today with the college football bowl game to be played at Yankee Stadium on December 30th. There goes any chance of the NHL holding the next Winter Video: P.K. Subban's highlight-reel weekend [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 2:45 pm] Growing up and watching Don Cherry's Rock'em Sock'em hockey VHS tapes as a kid, Grapes always seemed to mention any one of the numerous end-to-end rushes that Bobby Orr would perform as a member of the Boston Bruins. Every time Orr would rush the puck in those videos, things would end with a goal for the Bruins, five embarrassed skaters on the ice and a joyous Cherry expressing his mancrush on him. Montreal Canadiens prospect P.K. Subban(notes) is a defenseman like the great No. 4 and has a knack for these spectacular end-to-end rushes as well. Currently with the Hamilton Bulldogs of the American Hockey League, Subban added another highlight-reel play to his YouTube resume in a game against the Chicago Wolves last Friday night: How he was allowed that much ice to skate is a mystery, but it's not hard to blame the Chicago defense for getting caught watching the play and allow the J.T. Wyman(notes) goal. Subban wasn't finished on the weekend as on Saturday night, he took his skills to the shootout against the Hartford Wolf Pack and showed off his Datsyukian hands: His pausing in the crease while looking down at the goaltender after he scores is a nice touch by Subban and reminds you of an NFL player laying out a big hit and standing over his helpless opponent. The 20-year old Subban played two games with the Canadiens before the Olympic break recording two assists and depending on how the next handful of games go for the Canadiens, could find himself back up in the NHL soon enough. s/t to The Score for finding both videos Puck Headlines: GMs to present blindside ban; 'Yotes to lose $20M [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 1:22 pm] 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.• David Shoalts reports that the GMs will recommend a rule banning blindside hits to the head from a shoulder. The rule will be further tweaked and presented Wednesday to all 30 GMs. If approved by the NHL's competition committee and board of governors, it will go into effect next season. [Globe & Mail] • Another change being discussed is the standings tiebreaker. Kevin Allen of USA Today reports that GMs are in favor of making the first tiebreaker "fewest shootout wins" instead of "most wins", which it is currently. [@kausatoday] • According to Sidney Crosby's(notes) agent, Pat Brisson, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar had a full schedule and was unable to appear on the "Late Show with David Letterman" last week. Or he realized how big a of Leafs fan Dave is. [Post-Gazette]• ThePensBlog has an excellent take on the entire "controversy". [tPb]• The NHL predicts the Phoenix Coyotes will lose $20 million this season, “less than the $40 million to $50 million previously estimated by attorneys and others involved in the team’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy case.” Er, uh … congrats? [Biz Journal]• Columbus Blue Jackets captain Rick Nash(notes) left last night's game against Los Angeles early with a "lower-body injury". He's not expected to be in the lineup tonight against Anaheim. [Puck-Rakers]• Cheers to David Perron(notes) of the St. Louis Blues for donating $4,500 to the Red Cross' relief efforts in Haiti. In February, Perron pledged $1 for every new follower he gained on his Twitter account. [Frozen Notes] • Winners of six of their last 20 games, New Jersey Devils head coach Jacques Lemaire held a team meeting after practice this morning to express his unhappiness. [NJ.com] & Jack Edwards gets very Jack Edwards about Cooke's head shot [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 11:30 am] This may absolutely shock you, but NESN Boston Bruins announcer Jack Edwards went a wee bit over the top in his reaction to Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke's(notes) head-shot on Marc Savard(notes), which Darren Dreger of TSN reports may have ended Savard's season. (The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reports that Cooke has "reached out" to Savard; wonder if they connected, with Savard being out to lunch and all.) Hyperbole from the man who gave us maniacal on-air laughter at the expense of Flyers fans? Overstatement from the voice that compared a playoff victory for the Bruins over the Montreal Canadiens to the Revolutionary War, as in "234 years ago yesterday, a bunch of rag-tag farmers stood up against the greatest fighting force in the world"? We're sure you're in stunned disbelief.On NESN.com, Edwards opined on the Cooke hit and lack of swift discipline from the NHL, opening with this prologue:Soon after the United States of America won its independence -- to be free and equal among all nations -- John Adams and Thomas Jefferson paid an official visit to the Court of King George III. The king literally turned his back on them. Adams and Jefferson, having had their knowledge and notions of aristocratic mistreatment reaffirmed, were united in their hatred of the king and all his loyal subjects ever after. They were right then, and they are right now. Any resemblance to events, people or places in the following work of fiction is purely coincidental.Having established that metaphor as the bar, Edwards quickly clears it with a 1,500 word parable about, ahem, "Slidsy Cornsbie of the Porkburgh Pinkins" and his injury at the shoulder of a marginal NHL winger. It could be the most compelling argument we've read for the abolishment of the caste system in NHL supplemental discipline, but it's more likely the most bat-poop cynical rant on the matter you'll have read in quite some time.From the mind, and poison pen, of Jack Edwards. Remember that Marty Turco on Stars' playoff chances, Semin's shootout fail [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 10:09 am] The goal cam on NHL broadcasts has given fans a goalie's-eye view of remarkable saves and thrilling offensive chances. On Monday night in D.C., it gave viewers on Versus something offbeat: The chance to see Marty Turco's(notes) amusing reaction to a stumbling Alex Semin shootout attempt in the Dallas Stars' 4-3 win at the Washington Capitals."He actually got the shot off, so it wasn't a complete train wreck," said Turco after the game. "In the shootout, you have to be ready for everything."Like most teams that enter Verizon Center this season, the Stars may not have been ready for the Capitals' offensive barrage in the first two periods, when the home team posted 42 shots on goal and built a 2-0 lead. But Dallas rallied for three goals in the third and won in the shootout -- only the seventh time the Caps have lost at home this season. "You can't put your finger on it, but it is about attitude and nothing else with this team," said Turco. "But this team, not having strung together any streaks of wins together all season long, our attitude -- as well as we approach things or talk about it -- it's hard [to win]. You gotta have the right attitude."The attitude now for Dallas: survival, in the Western Conference playoff push. According to Mirtle's latest numbers-crunching, the Stars have to go 12-5-0 the rest of the way to make the Western Conference playoffs, as they sit 10th in the West with 70 points, four in back of the Detroit Red Wings. The problem for Dallas: Their schedule the rest of the way is murderous, with seven games against the Los Angeles Kings, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks. That includes a four-game road swing from Nashville through California near the end of the month."We have an awful road trip. That makes it ultra tough. Like [a] 'you gotta get lucky' kind of tough," said Turco. "We don't really talk about it because it's so obvious. But it is gut-check time."Does Monday's performance c Sidney Crosby golden roar reader art contest, Gallery No. 2 [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 8:59 am] Just another example of the inherent bias against the Winter Games. Usain Bolt gets a bouquet of roses. Sidney Crosby(notes)? Not even allowed to remove his helmet for the post-race, Mega Powers pose down in sweltering Beijing. Criminal, isn't it?Welcome to the second gallery of our Sidney Crosby Golden Roar reader art contest (Gallery One Here), in which Sid the Kid's iconic Olympic moment -- after scoring the game-winning overtime goal to win the gold medal over the U.S. - is properly celebrated by your sick, twisted minds. We've received close to 300 submissions ... and only about half of them had something to do with the movie "300". You won't see those here, though you will be able to view them in the final, all-encompassing gallery. No, we wanted to bring you some of the best, and some of the oddest, submissions in the contest here. Like Travis H. featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins star in Norwegian artist Edvard Munch's "The Scream," which like most Norwegian art would have been improved with curling pants. Ah, yes: Contests have prizes. So does this one. We're going to select three winners, and the first place finisher will get his or her choice of prizes. The three options for this contest, in order of what we believe is coolness:• New Strat-o-Matic hockey game, for the hockey nerd in you. • Two VIKINGSTAD! T-shirts from our friends at Pucking Hilarious.• Your choice of hockey reading: "Hockey Dad" by TSN's Bob McKenzie; "Gabby: Confessions of a Hockey Lifer" by Bruce Boudreau and Tim Leone; or "Slap Shot Original" by Dave Hanson.Deadline for submissions will be Wednesday, March 10, at noon EST. Email your entries to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com. Now, we continue with sights you can't un-see in the Sidney Crosby Golden Roar reader art contest.And here ... we ... go. With the opening credits.If you start playing Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" on the third Golden Ro Monday's Three Stars: Turco sets career mark; Jackets embarrassed [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 9, 2010, 12:46 am] No. 1 Star: Marty Turco(notes), Dallas StarsIn ending Washington's 13-game home winning streak, Turco made a career-high 49 saves as Dallas tripped up the Capitals 4-3 in the shootout. Facing 42 shots in the first two periods, the Stars went down 2-0 midway through the second period before scoring three times in a span of 6:20 to take the lead. In the shootout, Turco stopped four out of five Washington shooters to help snap a personal two game losing streak as well as Dallas' three-game skid. No. 2 Star: Alexander Frolov(notes), Los Angeles KingsThe Kings' winger continued his post-Olympic break hot play with a goal and a career-high three assists in Los Angeles' 6-0 shutout over Columbus. Frolov now has eight points in his last four games and has a goal in three of them. With the victory, the Kings take the season series with Columbus 3-1 and move a point behind the Phoenix Coyotes for fourth place in the Western Conference. No. 3 Star: Jonathan Quick(notes), Los Angeles KingsIt was a quiet night for Quick as he stopped all 11 shots he faced against the Blue Jackets to record his third shutout and 37th win of the year. He now leads all NHL goaltenders in victories. Quick benefited from a four-goal first period for Los Angeles that featured power play tallies 41 seconds apart from Michal Handzus(notes) and Frolov. The Kings now hit the road to play Chicago and Dallas before returning to Staples Center for a four-game homestand. Honorable mention: Alex Ovechkin(notes) scored his 43rd and 44th goals to tie Sidney Crosby(notes) for the NHL's overall goal-scoring lead. ... Brad Richards'(notes) goal on the power play started the Dallas comeback and he would assist on a Trevor Daley(notes) tally with the extra man just three minutes later to cut the Washington lead to one ... Helping Los Angeles in their 6-0 win was their dominance in the faceoff dot (34-for-53) and their ability to capitalize on the power play (3-for-5). Did you know? By rec Versus has seen 'Stankos' and he looks a lot like Corey Perry [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 9:42 pm] Steven Stamkos(notes) of the Tampa Bay Lightning is having an incredible offensive season. But he is no match for the Stupendous "Stankos", who was unleashed on an unsuspecting public via a Versus graphic during Monday night's Dallas Stars shootout win over the Washington Capitals. What a unprecedented hockey hybrid: The rifle shot and goal-scoring abilities of Steven Stamkos, combined with the utter pain in the ass that is Corey Perry(notes) of the Anaheim Ducks! Upon creation of a Ryan St. Getzlouis clone, there'll be no stopping him!Oh, and what a glorious fail on the part of the NHL's cable home, at least according to the dozen or so readers who have forwarded this folly our way. The silver lining for Versus: No one with DirecTV is aware of this error. Well, until now. Stick tap to PrincessDuck on Twitter for the image. Thanks to everyone who sent it in. Puck Previews: Caps go for No. 14; Kesler on 2K11 cover [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 5:26 pm] 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. Preview: Dallas Stars at Washington Capitals, 7 p.m. EST. Going for their 14th straight win at Verizon Center, the Capitals enter tonight's game against the Stars on the verge of a third straight Southeast Division title, once again assuring themselves top three seed in the Eastern Conference. Dallas sits six points out of the eighth spot in the Western Conference and find themselves in the middle of a three-game losing streak. Marty Turco(notes) will be back in net for the Stars against Semyon Varlamov(notes), who's allowed 10 goals in his previous two starts. Preview: Columbus Blue Jackets at Los Angeles Kings, 10:30 p.m. EST. Both teams come into tonight on losing streaks. The Kings are losers of their last two, while the Blue Jackets try to avoid dropping a fifth straight game. In all three meetings to date between the teams this season, the home team has won out. New Kings forward Fredrik Modin(notes) faces his former teammates a week after being dealt to Hollywood. (Watch this game live on Y! Sports) Check out previews and updated scores for all of today's games on the Y! Sports NHL scores and scheds page.Evening Reading• Any decision on Matt Cooke(notes) from the NHL will come tomorrow at the earliest. Pittsburgh doesn't play until Thursday, so there's no rush for Colin Campbell to spin the "Wheel of Justice". [Globe & Mail] • After offering a $10,000 reward for the return of Sidney Crosby's(notes) missing stick and glove used in the gold medal game, Reebok has set up an online tip center to help in the hunt. Got a hot lead? Better hurry as the reward is offered through March 31st. [Reebok Hockey] • Your NHL 2K11 coverboy is ... Ryan Kesler(notes) of the Vancouver Canucks. [CP via TSN] • Hershey's Canada is now the official Video: Lauer tries to talk hockey with Ryan Miller on Today Show [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 2:17 pm] Two points of frustration with what's an otherwise short, pleasant and effective appearance by Buffalo Sabres goalie and Team USA Winter Olympic MVP Ryan Miller(notes) on "The Today Show" on Monday morning.The first is when host Matt Lauer mentions the ovation Miller received from the fans in Pittsburgh, but doesn't follow through with real significance of the moment: That Miller was given a more enthusiastic reception than the player who beat him for the gold medal in overtime, in said player's home arena.The second, obviously, is that it's Matt Lauer doing the interview rather than Kathy Lee Gifford, a box of wine and a torch song about America. Here's Miller outside the NBC Studios in New York City this morning: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy"This appears to be the difference." Great line. OK, a third regret: No Al Roker waddling out in full goalie equipment asking if he could be a backup in Sochi. Because fat equals funny. Always. Puck Headlines: Playoff goalie headaches; no NBC ratings bump [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 1:10 pm] 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.• Look, it's not the gold; but the silver medal in women's ice hockey still makes a damn nice accessory on the red carpet, as Julie Chu of the U.S. team showed at the Academy Awards. (Be kind, Ms. Rivers, they've been through a lot.) [Getty]• Marc Savard(notes) is cleared to fly to Boston, but doesn't remember getting blind-sided by Matt Cooke(notes). [Boston Herald]• Great stuff from Elliotte Friedman today about head shots, Tomas Kaberle(notes) potentially staying in Toronto and why the ninth-place team might be steamed about Phoenix making the postseason. But the best stuff is about the Chicago Blackhawks and their goaltending situation, as he reports that "unloading Huet's contract would have cost at least a first-rounder and an established player" and that Scotty Bowman believes the "Detroit model" of a great defense protecting OK goaltending works. [CBC Sports]• From Ryan Kennedy: "The top three teams in the NHL right now are Washington, San Jose and Chicago. None of these teams have what could be deemed clutch goaltending, especially compared to the other attributes they excel at." [THN]• Post-Olympic NHL ratings get no bump, via Steve Lepore: "The Red Wings' 5-4 win over the Blackhawks drew a 1.2 overnight rating on NBC Sunday afternoon, up 20% from Bruins/Rangers on the comparable date last year (1.0), but down 8% from Penguins/Capitals on February 7 (1.3), NBC's last NHL telecast before the Olympic break." Dollars to donuts that trend changes when the Capitals and the Blackhawks play next weekend. [Puck The Media]• Speaking of donuts: Portland Pirates Coach Kevin Dineen (remember the Whale!) has been suspended indefinitely for going after a referee to dispute a call after an AHL game. No word if "fat pig Can Steve Downie really be part of the NHL's best line? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 12:05 pm] One can argue that, overall, the Washington Capitals' Ovechkin/Backstrom/Knuble trio or the San Jose Sharks' combination of Heatley/Thornton and Marleau are the better line. But no line in the NHL is hotter right now than Marty St. Louis, Steven Stamkos(notes) and Steve Downie(notes) of the Tampa Bay Lightning, and there's a better chance that Barry Melrose will return as coach than anyone having predicted that back in October. Consider:St. Louis: Saw his point totals decline in consecutive seasons and had armchair GMs figuring out how to rescue him the S.S. KoulesBarrie and reunite him with John Tortorella in New York. Raise your hand if you thought he'd reverse that trend after being split up from Vincent Lecavalier(notes), to the tune of 78 points in 62 games.Stamkos: Were it not for the Phoenix Coyotes, he's the redemption story of the season. After a middling, disappointing rookie season that started terribly and ended with 46 points, Stamkos has is third in the League in goal-scoring (40) and has 76 points in 64 games. Raise your hand if you thought Sophomore Stamkos would be in the midst of a 16-point scoring streak on March 8. Finally, raise your hand if you anticipated the resurrection of Steve Downie's career as a two-way NHL player on one of the best lines in hockey. Anyone? Bueller?Downie has played roughly a quarter of his season on the wing of St. Louis/Stamkos. Since Jan. 2, he has 23 points in 24 games ... along with 92 (!) penalty minutes. That dichotomy is why they're chanting his name in the cheap seats this season, according to the Tampa Tribune:"It's been a big improvement from my first two seasons," said Downie, a first-round pick in 2005 who frustrated Philadelphia management with his penchant for drawing suspensions and playing undisciplined. "I've been a fourth-line player and I knew I could contribute more."Saturday's late outburst was a case of Downie finishing what he started. Skating down left wing, Downie passed acro The Blind Side: Where the NHL must focus on hits to head [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 10:18 am] Hits to the head in the NHL are apparently like snowflakes, in the sense that they're cold and involve something plummeting to the ice. Wait, no, that's not right: It's because no two are exactly alike, even when they appear to be identical.I've spent the last 24 hours explaining to various warring factions why I believe Pittsburgh Penguins winger Matt Cooke's(notes) hit on Boston Bruins center Marc Savard(notes) (video) is different than Philadelphia Flyers center Mike Richards's(notes) hit on Florida Panthers forward David Booth(notes) (video). Both happened around the same part of the ice, both resulted in a concussed star offensive player being taken off on a stretcher. Yet I'll staunchly defend the Richards hit as an attempt to separate player from puck before Booth made a quick pass, while the Cooke head shot came well after Savard fired the puck. I see the former as a hockey play, the latter as a cheap hit. I know this puts me in the minority. But it's all subjective, isn't it? This isn't hooking or high-sticking. Hits to the head are a nebulous, debatable, contentious part of the game, as evidenced by the over 200 comments on the Savard/Cooke incident on Sunday. They're also a blight on the Game, a constant downer and a subject that marries two of the most uncomfortable realities for NHL fans: That our sport is inherently injurious and that our system of justice is inherently unjust. The annual GM meetings begin in lovely Boca Raton on Monday, and hits to the head are the main course. We're closer than ever to legislation against head shots. But if we're going to untangle the confusion about what warrants a penalty or further discipline, then the focus shouldn't be on anatomy but rather on proximity. In other words: Ban blindside hits to the head, in clear black-and-white language that the players all understand.Reading the tea leaves, the blindside hit will be outlawed in the next year or so. Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs, advocate of truculen What We Learned: Why would Olympic fans watch this nonsense? [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 8:48 am] Hello, this is a feature that will run through the entire season and aims to recap the weekend's events and boils those events down to one admittedly superficial fact or stupid opinion about each team. Feel free to complain about it.You and I are hockey fans. We love hockey. We'd watch hockey on a 13-inch black and white TV even if it was fuzzy and an Oilers game. We don't care.But say you're just some guy that didn't care about hockey up until last Sunday's Olympic gold medal game, and you watched that game and said, "Oh man I thought hockey sucked. That was awesome! I hope I can watch more of it and soon."This weekend showed exactly why the average sports fan was so quick to embrace the Olympics and trash the NHL in the same breath.(Coming Up: Corey Perry(notes) is a punk; Daniel Carcillo(notes) is an effective punk; the Fire Sather Rally; Columbus's burning man; Marc Savard(notes) gets a cheap shot after Blake Comeau(notes) does; the analytical genius of Brenden Morrow(notes) and Lindy Ruff; Guillaume Latendresse(notes), scoring machine; Datsyukian YouTube brilliance; the Devils' Alberta nightmare; and how the Senators can reacquire Dany Heatley(notes), according to no less an authority than the HF Boards.)With what was assumed to be a surefire excellent matchup between two Original Six teams that just happen to be division rivals, one of which is among the best teams in the league and the other being the Detroit Red Wings, as the next game televised on NBC, what could possibly go wrong?Well Cristobal Huet(notes), for one. He was doing alright until about four minutes into the second period when he turned all ... well, Huet-y. Four goals on seven shots in 6:15 and the game, which Chicago had been leading 2-0, was pretty much over. It was a total gong show of goaltending ineptitude that not only underscored that they'll let just about anyone start an NHL game these days, but also that if you came in expecting Canada/USA-quality play, you migh Sunday's Three Stars: More Iginla mastery; Sabres win in OT [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 8, 2010, 1:00 am] No. 1 Star: Jarome Iginla(notes), Calgary FlamesFun fact: No NHL player has scored more goals against the Minnesota Wild than Jarome Iginla, scoring 30 goals and 53 points in 53 games. Yet he hadn't scored a goal in the previous 10 games; perhaps his hat trick in the Flames' 5-2 victory over the Wild was making up for lost time. He potted two power-play goals and an empty netter, adding an assist in a dazzling effort for Calgary. Rene Bourque(notes) had a goal and three assists, Vesa Toskala(notes) made 27 saves for his first win as a starter with the Flames. No. 2 Star: Patrick Kaleta(notes), Buffalo SabresFor the Sabres, Brandon Dubinsky's(notes) power-play goal with 1:23 left in the game was a gut-punch. But Kaleta came through in OT for a 2-1 victory at the New York Rangers. He shot the puck from the right wing, collected a deflected rebound, took another shot that was saved by Henrik Lundqvist(notes) and then finally put the game-winner home on the third attempt. (Video here.) Ryan Miller(notes) made 35 saves in the victory. No. 3 Star: Manny Legace(notes), Carolina Hurricanes Yeah, about that whole "Atlanta's a solid bet for the playoffs" thing. Legace made 27 saves for his first shutout since April 2008, as the Hurricanes blanked the Thrash, 4-0. Legace now has a 3-1-1 career record with two shutouts against Atlanta. Said Thrashers Coach John Anderson: "We just looked like we were wearing snow shoes, and (Carolina) looked very fresh."Honorable mention: Chicago Blackhawks winger Andrew Ladd(notes) had a hat trick, but it was a five-goal barrage by the Detroit Red Wings that determined the winner of the big NBC game on Sunday. Detroit chased Cristobal Huet(notes) (13 saves on 17 shots), got goals from five different players and picked up a huge win over their rivals, 5-4, in Chicago. ... Roberto Luongo(notes) made 33 saves and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals in a 5-2 win over the Nashville Predators. Jannik Hansen(notes Due respect to Bigelow, but this says Jason Reitman was robbed [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 7, 2010, 11:36 pm] Jason Reitman, director of "Up in the Air" and NHL.com playoff blogger, rocked the old-school Cliff Ronning era Vancouver Canucks logo during his Best Director vignette at the 2010 Academy Awards. Which obviously would have earned our vote. Alas, Reitman lost the statue to Kathryn Bigelow for "The Hurt Locker," which is OK we suppose in a 'shattering the glass ceiling' sort of way. And she gave the world "Near Dark" and "Point Break," meaning that this was as deserved as The Dude finally nabbing an Oscar for Best Actor.Clearly, Jason needs to go even more old school next time to impress the Academy. Two words: Flying V. Meanwhile, we count down the days until Kevin Smith's "Hit Somebody" skates away with Best Picture. Video: Savard stretchered off after Matt Cooke head-shot [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 7, 2010, 5:22 pm] This Matt Cooke(notes) blow to the head of Marc Savard(notes), which kept the Boston Bruins star center down on the ice for 10 minutes before being carried off on a stretcher, should be Exhibit A in the "penalize head shots" presentation at the next owners' meeting. It's a blatant attempt to injure that comes well after Savard is in shooting position and releases the puck. Yet no penalty was called, because them's the current rules.From Sunday's Boston Bruins' 2-1 loss at the Pittsburgh Penguins, a hit that concussed Savard:From CSNNE Bruins writer Joe Haggerty:Dirty, vicious elbow by Matt Cooke on Marc Savard to his blind side after he shot a puck at the Pittsburgh net. Just no regard for the health and well-being of another player right there. Replays showed Cooke lowered an elbow that smashed directly into Savard's head when he had his head turned away from the Penguins forward. The elbow knocked Savard right down to the ice. Savard was down for 10 minutes and trainers had to take the playmaking center off on a stretcher. Somehow there wasn't a penalty called on the play, but there's [no] way Cooke gets off without a lengthy suspension. That is the kind of play that the NHL is trying to rid their sport of, and it's yet another injury that the B's can't afford.Cooke is a previous offender, and with the Lapierre (4 games) and Boogaard (2 games) suspensions we're in a cycle of discipline here that guarantees Cooke gets lengthy one; due to the timing, the hit and the aftermath, because the NHL can't ignore a stretcher. We've seen this hit compared to the Mike Richards' hit on David Booth and the Interwebs today. Geographically, that's accurate, as both occurred near the blue line in the offensive zone. But that's where the comparison ends. Richards isn't skating by, sticking out his arm. Booth quickly dished the puck rather than having shot it like Savard. They're two completely different hits, and that's a good thing: The Richards The top 10 reasons why Crosby snubbed Letterman invite [Yahoo! Sports: Blogs: March 7, 2010, 11:57 am] In yet another "how the NHL should capitalize on the Olympic viewership column, Artie Gigantino of the San Francisco Chronicle makes a few salient suggestions (loved the newspaper ad) and a few awful ones (1. Ban fighting; 2. ???? 3. Get Olympic ratings). But this idea definitely resonated:Although the season resumed right away, allow two or three of them to appear on Leno or Letterman. That is worth its weight in gold, no pun intended. Drew Brees made the rounds after the Super Bowl, as did Derek Jeter after the World Series.Worth its weight in gold ... provided the guy with the gold is up for it. Larry Brooks of the NY Post wrote on Sunday that David Letterman's show extended an invitation to Sidney Crosby(notes) when the Pittsburgh Penguins were in New York last week, and were denied. What better way to examine this decision than with a Top 10 list, right?From the NY Post:Upon learning of the snub, Slap Shots was told that this wasn't the first time Crosby, who last year declined to appear on NBC's "Today" show following Pittsburgh's Stanley Cup victory, had rejected a request from Letterman's "Late Show." We only can imagine the demands on Crosby's time. Yet, in the days that hockey was front-page and back- page material after Canada gold, U.S. silver in overtime attracted more television viewers in the States than any game since the Lake Placid Miracle in 1980, it's difficult to understand why the NHL's most recognizable player and ambassador refused to spread the gospel. Well, it's not that difficult. But it is a bummer. So, from the home office in Cole Harbour, here are The Top 10 Reasons Sidney Crosby Declined the Letterman Invitation:10. Crosby and other high-profile Olympians for the U.S. and Canada went beyond the call with the media and appearances for a few weeks, and once the last beaver was deflated at the Closing Ceremonies it was back to NHL business -- especially for a guy with Crosby's focus. So it's understandable th |