Hockey Goal: Mikael Granlund

Hockey Goal:
Mikael Granlund

Awesome game-winning hockey shootout goal from top-ranking European Skater prospect, Mikael Granlund:



Granlund, a baby at 18 years old, is a Finnish professional hockey player who plays forward for HIFK of the Finnish SM-Liiga. He’s eligible for the upcoming 2010 NHL draft. Getting info on him will probably be a bit easier than it is now once we get closer to the draft.

If you’re already drooling over the idea of your team picking this kid up, though, here’s a thread from Hockey’s Future devoted to him.

Hockey News: Second-round Stanley Cup Playoff Predictions and TV Schedule

Hockey News

Second Round of NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Set up
TV Schedule, Too!

Now that the Capitals have completed their EPIC failure against the Canadiens, the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs are officially all set up:

Western Conference
Sharks v. Red Wings

Blackhawks v Canucks

Eastern Conference
Penguins v Canadiens

Bruins v Flyers

Here’s a great article from NESN that gives a pretty good breakdown of all the different hockey series at hand. I have to say that I agree with all of their predictions. The Canadiens are probably the most dangerous team right now in the playoffs in terms of being on a roll and I don’t think Fleury will be able to handle all the traffic that he's likely to see come his way.

Plain and simple, the Flyers won’t go far without Carter and Gagne. If they win two games this series, I’d be surprised.

I’m back and forth on the Sharks and Red Wings. The Sharks are just so talented, but the Red Wings have a tremendous amount of veteran experience and leadership in Lidstrom, Zetterberg and Datsyuk. The latter is what matters in the postseason and what will, ultimately, prevail in this series.

The last series, I feel, will be the best. I don’t think it’ll go 6 – more like 7. And a close, 7 at that. Ultimately though, the Blackhawks are a deeper team and I think that Toews, Kane and co. will really bring it to Luongo, who has yet to ever show up in a big game. 

The TV schedule for all the games is below. All times are EST.

Thursday
Game 1: Detroit at San Jose, 9:00

Friday
Game 1: Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7:00

Saturday
Game 1: Vancouver at Chicago, 8:00

Sunday
Game 2: Detroit at San Jose, 8:00

Monday, May 3
Game 2: Philadelphia at Boston, 7:00
Game 2: Vancouver at Chicago, JIP

Tuesday, May 4
Game 3: Pittsburgh at Montreal , 7:00
Game 3: San Jose at Detroit, JIP

Wednesday, May 5
Game 3: Boston at Philadelphia, 7:00
Game 3: Chicago at Vancouver, 9:30

Thursday, May 6
Game 4: Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:00
Game 4: San Jose at Detroit, JIP

Friday, May 7
Game 4: Boston at Philadelphia, 7:00
Game 4: Chicago at Vancouver, 9:30

Saturday, May 8
*Game 5: Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7:00
*Game 5: Detroit at San Jose, 10:00

Sunday, May 9
*Game 5: Vancouver at Chicago, 8:00

Monday, May 10
*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Montreal, 7:00
*Game 6: San Jose at Detroit, JIP

Tuesday, May 11
*Game 6: Chicago at Vancouver, 9:30

Wednesday, May 12
*Game 7: Montreal at Pittsburgh, 7:00
*Game 7: Detroit at San Jose, TBD

Thursday, May 13
*Game 7: Vancouver at Chicago, 8:00

Friday, May 14
*Game 7: Philadelphia at Boston, 7:00
NHL on NBC

Saturday, May 1
Game 1: Philadelphia at Boston, 12:30

Sunday, May 2
Game 1: Montreal at Pittsburgh, 2:00

Hockey Music: Warren Zevon

Hockey Music: 

Warren Zevon

Warren Zevon wants you to Hit Somebody!

A lot of people are surprised to hear that American rock musician/legend, Warren Zevon, was actually a big puckhead, too, but it’s true. For those of  you who don’t know Zevon, he’s the genius behind such popular songs as Werewolves of London and Lawyers, Guns and Money.

He’s also the voice behind the cult classic song, Hit Somebody! Take a listen:



Some fun facts about this song:

• The guy in the chorus is actually one of Zevon’s pals: a one, Mr. David Letterman, who was a huge fan of Zevon and had him on his show numerous times.

• The song was not actually written by Zevon, but rather by another one of Zevon’s buds, famous sports columnist and author, Mitch Albom, of Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven fame.

• Silent Bob, A.K.A., Kevin Smith (I suppose that should be in reverse) who himself is a huge hockey fan (using the word “huge” loosely, Mr. Smith – please don’t get Tweetangry) . . .

 is actually in the process of filming a movie based on the lyrics to the song, Hit Somebody!

Loosely, it tells the story of a hockey player - Buddy - who has dreams of becoming a star player in the NHL. He realizes part of his dream by actually making it to the league, but not in the role he originally saw himself taking on; rather than a playmaker, he’s an enforcer, loved by fans and feared by opponents.

Despite his best efforts to shake the role over the course of his career, Buddy can’t make the transition. This stays true until the last game of his career in which he scores a goal, but doesn’t get to enjoy it because as soon as he shoots the puck, he gets knocked out cold by an opposing player.

Truthfully, I can’t think of a better song that captures the karma involved in hockey. Hope you enjoyed it.

Sing. Dance. Play hockey!

Hockey Quote: Gordie Howe

Hockey Quote
Gordie Howe

From now thru the rest of the playoffs, I’m going to devote each of my “hockey quotes of the week” to players who’ve won the Stanley Cup in the past.

If you play hockey, you know Gordie Howe.

Mr. Hockey, as he’s also known, was one of the first – if not, the very first –  hockey player to create a permanent impression on the world of hockey. He set a bar to which all players have strived to reach since then. Sure, it has been raised since then, what with the likes of such superstars as Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemiuex and soon to be Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. But really, you’d be hard pressed to find a forward comparable to everything that Gordie How was – and still is – to the game of hockey.

One of the reasons we’re all so familiar with Gordie Howe’s body of work is because his stats don’t merely span a few seasons, they span decades. He is the only hockey player to have competed in the NHL for five decades. He retired with the Red Wings at the young age of 52.

The results?

1767 games, 801 goals, 1850 points. That’s not mentioning his WHA totals, by the way. He collected six Art Ross trophies, six Hart trophies and four Stanley Cups. Pretty impressive stuff, if you ask this Hockey Chump.

Gordie Howe’s toughness, strength and resiliency in playing such a physically demanding sport all those years speak volumes about his passion for the game, that which he summed up one time with this great quote:

"You've got to love what you're doing.  If you love it, you can overcome any handicap, or the soreness, or all the aches and pains and continue to play for a long, long time." 

I think this line is somewhat apropos to what players are going through right now in the playoffs (e.g. Thomas Vanek coming back last night for the playoff game and Marc Savard expecting to play in the next round of the playoffs). Hockey is a unique sport that demands the very best efforts out of its players. And those that give the most, are the ones we hold in highest regard.

Funny Hockey Photo

Funny Hockey Photo of the Week

Hilarious image of a true hockey chump!

Came across this funny hockey photo and just had to share it. I’m not sure what’s worse, though – the fact that this 12-year-old is flipping the bird at a Red Wings player or that he’s making such a bizarre face, haha.

That’s hockey for you – appeals to all genders, ages, and brings out the best in everyone.

Hockey Exercise: Burpees

Awesome Full-body Hockey Workout
Burpees

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“Burpees”, as they’re referred to, are a great full-body workout for any level hockey player. You will work everything from your legs to your arms to your cardio, and each rep takes less than 5 seconds to do. Talk about your efficient workouts!

The way to do a burpee is as follows:

- Start out in a squat position with your hands on the floor in front of you.

- Now quickly kick your feet back behind you so that you’re in a full push-up position.

- Don’t go down and do the push-up (not yet at least – if you are more advanced at doing this, then try it – it adds a whole new element to the workout itself – trust me!)

- Hold the position briefly before returning your feet back in to a squat position.

- Now, leap as high as possible from the squat position – this will really help your on-ice explosiveness (make sure to try and achieve max height with each leap).

- Land on your feet and return to your first position, squatting, with your hands in front of you.

Try to maintain a rapid pace throughout the workout. Do not simply go through the motions with this one – its effectiveness, and what will ultimately help you on the rink, is its focus on exercising of the cardio system. Burpees help you build up your hockey endurance. Taking it easy with this workout will not serve to benefit you at all.

Beginners at this workout should start out by trying to do 10 reps in a row without taking a break. Obviously, the more you do it, the more conditioned you will become and your rep count should be increased.

To see on-ice results, try to fit this workout in 3-4 times a week. You don’t need weights and you don’t need time in a gym – this hockey workout can be done in your own home, so make sure to find the time to fit it in to your schedule.

Thanks to Julie Dubois’ blog for the image. 

Hockey Trivia: Misspelled Names on the Stanley Cup

Fun Fact About the Stanley Cup

 I think the NHL might need to hire a new proofreader.

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One of the reasons that the Stanley Cup is the most popular professional sports trophy among the four major sports is because of the sense of immortality that comes along with having a player's name forever engraved into the side of the trophy.

But what do you do when your first name is misspelled? Or, for that matter, your last name? What about when the engravers misspell the NAME OF THE STANLEY CUP WINNING TEAM.
Well, more often than not, the NHL doesn’t do anything.

But what does the NHL do when the first name of a player is misspelled? Or, for that matter, their last name? What about when the engravers misspell the NAME OF THE STANLEY CUP WINNING TEAM.

Well, more often than not, the league doesn’t do anything.

That's right - there are STILL a handful of misspellings on the Stanley Cup to this very day? They include:

• Bob Gainey was spelled "Gainy" when he was a player for Montreal in the 70s;
• Ted Kennedy was spelled "Kennedyy" in the 40s;
• New York Islanders was spelled "Ilanders" in 1980/81;
• the Toronto Maple Leafs was spelled "Leaes" in 1962/63;
• the Boston Bruins was spelled "Bqstqn" in 1972

Example of the "Islanders" team name being misspelled on the Stanley Cup.

Feel bad for those players and teams? Well how about poor old Jacques Plante? His name has been misspelled FIVE TIMES, including "Jocko", "Jack" and "Plant".

Keep this info in your back pocket - could win you a future bar bet or two. In the meantime, I really think that the NHL should consider hiring a proofreader.

Great Hockey Goal of the Week: Thomas Deruns

Crazy Goal from Swiss Hockey League

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Thomas Deruns is a Swiss-born hockey player who plays for Fribourg-Gottéron, a professional ice hockey team based in Fribourg, Switzerland, which competes in the Swiss Nationalliga A. He also played for the Swiss at the recent Winter Olympic games.

Got sponsors?

Okay, now that the the necessary information for a relatively unknown player is out of the way, check out this incredible goal he assisted on a few weeks ago for his team in a quarter finals playoff game.

Ridiculous!



I don’t know what I’m more amazed at – the fact that Deruns, who stands at a borderline jolly-green-giant 6-foot, 7-inches had the wherewithal to dive, stretch and contort his body like that in order to get the pass off, or the fact that the guy who scored didn’t even recognize Deruns’ heroics, instead celebrating his own personal achievement. *Tsk *tsk random Swiss player. You get no name drop in this blog!

Hockey News: NHL to Scrimmage Against the KHL

The NHL is Moving Closer to an Agreement
with the KHL to Play Two Exhibition Games Next Season

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Each week I like to pick out some random hockey story that I think is interesting enough to share with the rest of the hockey chump community.

I came across this story by Darren Dreger on TSN and, after doing some research, found some additional reports in forums and blogs (the most credible of sources) that confirmed these details. So, going on a hunch, this sounds like something that might actually be in the works.

Apparently the NHL and KHL have been talking about setting up some exhibition games between the two leagues since the Olympics. The two NHL teams that will be playing – and are only tentatively scheduled right now – are the Carolina Hurricanes and Phoenix Coyotes because really, you can’t deny the fact that quiet, reserved folk like Cam Ward and Petr Prucha have emerged from their shells to become legitimate spokespersons for the league and will represent the NHL etremely well in this international spotlighted event.

Sheesh. What happened - New York, Detroit, Washington, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Montreal, etc. etc. etc. all weren't available?

Anyway, as per Dreger’s report, it looks like the ‘Canes will play St. Petersburg (SKA) and the ‘Yotes will face Riga. Who knows who’ll defect to the KHL and join these two teams before the actual games are played (or leave the teams for that matter), but some notable names on the teams right now include:

SKA:
Darius Kasparaitis
Alexei Yashin
Sergei Zubov
Sergei Brylin

Riga:
Tyler Arnason
Marcel Hossa
Martin Kariya (yeah, I’m stretching here)

Other teams will be going over to scrimmage in Europe, as has been fashionable over recent seasons; among them, the Boston Bruins, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets. To be honest, in this hockey chump's humble opinion, I think Boston and San Jose would've been better picks for these marquee games.

But, regardless of my opinion, if this actually goes down, it’ll be pretty cool. There’s been enough tension between the leagues the past few seasons and truthfully, there’s no better way to settle a score than a game of hockey. I like the idea of showcasing talent from different parts of the world and if it gains the sport any sort of attention in the media, than it’s definitely worth it in my books.

Hockey Music: Three Days Grace

Music Group of the Week: Rock band Three Days Grace prefers their hockey 365 days a year . . .

Rock band Three Days Grace hails from Toronto and is made up of Adam Gontier, Neil Sanderson, Brad Walst and Barry Stock. They’ve had more than their fair share of hits over the past few years but one thing that the more casual fan of the band may not know is that they are, in fact, huge hockey fans.

As first told during an interview with ESPN during the X Games, the band actually brings their hockey equipment with them on the road with the hope that they might have a chance to suit up and scrimmage at a rink in between shows.

"We're such huge hockey fans that we travel with it (their hockey gear) in our tour bus," Sanderson told reporter Lynn Hoppes. "We usually play concerts in converted hockey rinks. So we put on our skates and we go for it."

That, my fellow hockey chump friends, is pretty friggin' cool.

Later on in the interview, Gontier admitted that, naturally – being that they’re Canadian and all – each one of them gave thought at one point or another about sticking with hockey as a career instead, but thought it was smart to stick to music.

"We wish we were in the NHL. And, since we know a lot of NHL players, they wish they were in a rock band," Gontier said. "There are a lot of parallels to the jobs. But we don't have to wake up as early."

You mean to say there are no 5am jam sessions for Three Days Grace? What a shame!

Well, as per the weekly space we devote to musicians out there supporting hockey, here’s a video of Three Days Grace’s “Break” from  their album, Life Happens Now. Enjoy!



Sing. Dance. Play hockey!

Funny Hockey Photos: For Canucks fans, it’s good to be green!

This week’s hockey chump hockey photo of the week is actually a collection of photos featuring the infamously, notoriously, hilariously done up green men fans of the Vancouver Canucks who have been getting a lot of attention this season/postseason.

“Force” and “Sully”, as they like to refer to themselves are actually journalism students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. They’re not to keen on letting fans or the media for that matter find out their true identities. Their true passion? Getting in to the heads of penalized opponents.

The pair’s inspiration comes from the show “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” and truth be told, their initial plans were to do the green-costume get-up for a Seattle Seahawks game (hence the Seahawks’ green colors). They missed the game, though, and ended up picking up some Canucks v. Predators tickets instead and the rest is, well, history in the making.

The admiration of fans and attention they’ve gotten so far has well been worth the one *ahem* shortcoming to wearing the suits; that is, having to wear paper thin full body outfits in the middle of an ice hockey rink.

Even though this is the photo of the week spot, I think that a true appreciation for their "craft" can only be made through watching a video of them in action. Here's a recent encounter they had with LA Kings defenseman, Jack Johnson.



Personally, I think this is great for the game. So Hockey Chump stick taps to Force and Sully. Keep dancing. Continue distracting. Oh, and get yourselves some thermals!

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Hockey News: NHL to Change Shootout Rules

NHL to change shootout rules for next season . . .

In the NHLs continued effort to try and improve its game and gain the interest of the more casual hockey fan, the league will be implementing a new rule change to shootouts starting next season.

According to Larry Brooks of the New York Post, starting next season, coaches will no longer have to submit their shooter cards prior to the start of the shootout itself. Instead, they’ll now be allowed to pick their shooter round-by-round. The argument for this change, and what led to it being implemented, is that by the coach submitting the card prior to the shootout starting takes the coaching aspect out of the game at, perhaps, its most critical moment.

A great example where this would’ve made perhaps a HUGE difference took place during the last game of the season when the Flyers and Rangers went to a shootout to determine who goes to the playoffs. Surely there’s no telling the exact thought process going on under Tortorella’s mini mullet, but if he knew that his team was down a goal going in to the final round, do you think he would’ve still gone with Olli Jokinen or instead chosen to go with sniper Marion Gaborik? Regardless of the answer, it would’ve been something that he would’ve had the option to consider and could’ve led to a completely different outcome.

Regardless of your opinion on shootouts and whether or not they should be used to determine the outcome of the game, the fact of the matter is that they’re here to stay for now. The good thing, though, is that with the expected passing of this new rule, there will now be an added strategic dimension to determining the outcome of the game; that is, a coach can now do his job during all aspects of the game . . .  even during the shootout.

Hockey Quote: Brendan Shanahan

From now thru the rest of the playoffs, I’m going to devote each of my “hockey quotes of the week” to players who’ve won the Stanley Cup in the past.

This week is former power forward extraordinaire and current NHL Vice President of Hockey and Business Development, Mr. Brendan Shanahan.

Shanahan had this AWESOME quote from back during his playing days. A particularly naive reporter asked Shanahan if he thought ice hockey was hard. Shanahan, never one to mince words, had to say . . .

I don’t know, you tell me. We need to have the strength and power of a football player, the stamina of a marathon runner, and the concentraion of a brain surgeon. But we need to put all this together while moving at high speeds on a cold and slippery surface while 5 other guys use clubs to try and kill us.

Oh yeah did I mention that this whole time we’re standing on blades 1/8 of an inch thick? Is ice hockey hard? I don’t know, you tell me.

Next question.

I’m sorry, but if that’s not bad ass, I don’t know what is. This captures everything great about this sport. Because Shan is the man, here’s a cool video montage put together highlighting his career:



Stick tap to Haukiii for the video.

Hockey Workout: Explosiveness

Increase Your On-Ice Explosiveness with This Easy-To-Do Hockey Workout at Home

A lot of hockey is about reading plays and taking advantage of sudden opportunities. A skill that can be a real game-changer is a player’s  “explosiveness”. This refers to how quickly the player can recognize an opportunity and accelerate a quick 4-5 strides to take advantage of the chance.

It could be a breakaway. Or an odd-man rush. It could be back-checking and breaking up a play.

What makes the impact of the player’s explosiveness that much more effective depends upon the amount of power behind the initial strides they take and how effective they are at initially reacting to the play, whether it be stopping on a dime or turning around and changing direction.
A player’s explosiveness is not something that just some people have and others don’t. Rather, it’s something players train for.

Commit to doing the following hockey workout 3-4 times per week and you will see results in both your explosiveness and your overall skating power.

1.    Start with 12 Standard Push-Ups, feet together, hands shoulder-width apart. Emphasize quality rather than speed. After that you then . . .

2.    Sprint 25 Meters, as fast as you can, exploding from your feet after the 12th push-up. When you’re done sprinting . . . 

3.    Do 12 Squat Jumps, keep your back straight, chest up, squat down, and jump on your way up while raising both arms over your head. After you’ve completed your 12th squat jump, you then . . .
4.    Sprint 25 Meters, right back to where you started. As long as you’re here, you might as well do . . .

5.    12 More Standard Push-Ups, identical to step one. Finish your 12th push-up and then . . .

6.    Sprint 25 Meters, back to where you came from.

7.    Perform 25 Meters of Walking-Lunges Back to the Start, quality again emphasized over speed (this will give you the chance to catch your breath like an icing or other sort of play stoppage). After that, you’re going to do one more . . . 

8.    Sprint 25 Meters, to the virtual finish line.

Repeat this circuit three times each workout and you will almost immediately increase your explosiveness and power. The best part? It's very practical; no equipment is needed, you don't need a trainer, gym, or anything of that sort.

Stick tap to www.hockeyworkouts.net for posting this workout!

Hockey Trivia: Underwater Hockey

Bizarre Game of Hockey and Upcoming Playoff TV Schedule (yeah, cuz they go together, lol)

One of the more bizarre games ever invented, did you know that there’s an actual underwater version of ice hockey?

No, it’s not played under a melted ice rink.

This game is actually played in a pool that is – at minimum – 6-8 feet deep. Two teams of six members each fight against to score a goal with a puck that’s, well, 6-8 feet under water. The players wear fins for speed and agility, but also use masks and snorkels for air. For the most part, though, the heavy lead puck has to be maneuvered with a sort of knock-hockey stick almost that’s about a foot long while holding your breath. There are some pretty *ahem* in-depth rules for this bizarre game and believe it or not, nationals championships are held fairly regularly, with Underwater Hockey clubs spread all over.

Okay, well it’s kind of hard to segue from underwater hockey to the upcoming week’s national coverage of hockey so I’m just going to take a leap and say here it is. All times are EST. Enjoy!

NHL on NBC:
Sunday
Phoenix @ Detroit, 3:00

NHL on Versus:
Sunday
Game 3: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 6:30
Game 2: Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 (JIP)
Game 3: San Jose at Colorado 9:30 (JIP)

Monday, April 19
Game 3: Buffalo at Boston, 7:00
Game 3: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10:00

Tuesday, April 20
Game 4: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00
Game 3: Chicago at Nashville, 9:00 (JIP)
Game 4: San Jose at Colorado, 10:00 (JIP)

Wednesday, April 21
Game 4: Buffalo at Boston, 7:00
Game 4: Vancouver at Los Angeles, 10:00

Thursday, April 22
*Game 5 Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:00
Game 4: Chicago at Nashville, 9:00 (JIP)
*Game 5: Colorado at San Jose, 10:00 (JIP)

Friday, April 23
*Game 5: Montreal at Washington, 7:00
*Game 5: Detroit at Phoenix, 10:00

Saturday, April 24
*Game 6: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 7:00
*Game 6: San Jose at Colorado, TBD

Great Hockey Goal of the Week: Scott Gomez

Scott Gomez Scores a Great Goal (wait, seriously? Let me Chump-fact check this . . . yup, Scott Gomez. Wow!)




People who look at this might think, “Eh, that’s not really a goal of the week sort of goal.” To those individuals, yes, I agree, but only to a certain extent. You see, what’s great about this goal is that Scotty Gomez touches the puck probably 85% of the time in going from end to end. He passes it off briefly to Brian Gionta only to get it back moments later, whereupon, he buries it with the confidence of an elite goal scorer (in writing that line I can hear all of the New York Rangers’ fans gritting their teeth right now, lol).


So you count the speed, the nifty move at the blue line, the sharp pass from Gionta, and the one-time goal, and you’ve got yourself a pretty nice highlight play and a real confidence-builder for the Montreal Canadiens in starting out their playoff series against a heavily favored Washington Capitals team.

Hockey News: Parody Will Be Made . . . All Across the Web

Parody Will Be Made

Have you seen the “History Will Be Made” commercials surrounding the NHL playoffs this year? They feature the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Patrick Roy and Bobby Orr. They’re truly inspiring works of advertising genius.

Maybe a little too inspiring.

You see, these commercials have spawned a mock generation of, *ahem* commercials from a sarcastic breed of hock fan. Confused? Let me explain.

Each commercial starts at the conclusion of a breathtaking moment from some hero during a playoff game played yesteryear. The play is played in reverse to the point where it began and then some poignant question is asked like “What if there was no greatness?” for the Gretzky spot.

Fast forward to the Web sensation that is now Parody Will be Made.

These spots are done in the same spirit as the “History” family, but focuses on some of the not-so-fine moments of hockey’s past and feature the likes of Marty McSorley, Alex Ovechkin . . . even Gordon Bombay.

Yes, that Gordon Bombay.

Truthfully, the spots are hysterical. They’re getting a lot of play all across the Web now and are definitely worth checking out. Stick tap to Killah_punk  on hockeyfights.com for putting together the Parody Will Be Made clips in an easy-to-check-out order.

Enjoy!

Hockey Music: The Tragically Hip

The Tragically Hip – Awesome Rock Band or Hockey Obsessed Chumps Who Happen to Put Out Really Good Music?

The truth is that, yes, the rock band The Tragically Hip are a bunch of hockey obsessed chumps who happen to put out really good music. How good is the music? Let’s just put it this way . . . they’ve probably collected more music awards than Danielle Carcillo actually won fights this past season.

The Tragically Hip – or as the hipsters like to refer to them, “The Hip” – is a Canadian rock band from Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie (lead vocals and guitar), Paul Langlois (guitar), Rob Baker (guitar), Gord Sinclair (bass) and Johnny Fay (drums). They’re awesome enough to have won a bunch of awards over their 20+ years of playing, and even got inducted in to the Canadian Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, where upon they were rewarded by being allowed to drink from the country’s finest supply of maple syrup.

So why write about this band on a hockey blog? Simple. These guys love the sport and each week I like to show a little love back to musicians out there who support hockey.

In fact, The Hip love hockey so much that they’ve even written a couple of songs about it, including this Hockey Chump’s personal fave, “The Lonely End of the Rink”, which actually got played on Hockey Night in Canada the week of the album's release (Canadians LOVE to support Canadians).

Here's a line from the song:

I hear your voice ‘cross a frozen lake/
a voice from the end of a leaf/
saying, ‘you won’t die of a thousand fakes/
or be beaten by the sweetest of dekes’

Ah yes, poetry to a hockey chump's ears. Want more? Here’s a great live performance they did back in 2007.



Sing. Dance. Play hockey!

Funny Hockey Photos: Hockey Playoff Beards

It’s that time of the year again – playoff hockey – which, of course means that it’s also time for playoff hockey beard time.

The tradition started with Lanny McDonald’s CLASSIC ginger chin mop . . .

and has come to yield several different styles since, including . . .

The Jokesters



The Bad Ass



The Salt-and-Pepper



The Wolf Man




The Little Boy



And whatever this is . . .



Like hockey playoff beards? Check out the 2011 updated list here.

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Also, Molson has a pretty cool beard making site that’s two years old but is still up and running. All you do is upload your photo and they’ll gradually grow a beard to the image throughout the course of the playoffs. Not sure if it still works, but figure it’s worth a shot in sharing nonetheless.

Hockey Quote: Steve Rushin

Great hockey quote from renown sports columnist Steve Rushin that’s perfect for this week and the start of the NHL playoffs:

“By the age of 18, the average American has witnessed 200,000 acts of violence on television . . .

. . . most of them occurring during Game 1 of the NHL playoff series.”

And with great upcoming physicals series like the Philadelphia Flyers v the New Jersey Devils (two teams that encapsulate the “bruiser” team mentality) and the Colorado Avalanche v the San Jose Sharks (a team desperately trying to win versus a team desperately trying to prove they can win), those stats are likely to jump ten-fold over the next two weeks.

Speaking of the playoffs, Versus FINALLY released their TV schedule for the NHL playoffs for this upcoming week. Have a look and begin saying goodbye to your friends and family. All times are EST. Enjoy!

Wednesday
Game 1 Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:00
Game 1: Detroit at Phoenix, 10:00
Game 1: Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m (Joined in progress)

Thursday
Game 1: Montreal at Washington, 7:00
Game 1: Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10:00

Friday
Game 2: Ottawa at Pittsburgh, 7:00
Game 1: Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 (JIP)
Game 2: Detroit at Phoenix, 10:00
Game 2: Colorado at San Jose, 10:30 p.m (JIP)

Saturday
Game 2: Montreal at Washington, 7:00 p.m
Game 2: Los Angeles at Vancouver, 10:00

Sunday
Game 3: Pittsburgh at Ottawa, 6:30
Game 2: Nashville at Chicago, 8:30 (JIP)
Game 3: San Jose at Colorado 9:30 (JIP)

BTW – sorry Flyers/Devils fans – your teams lost out on a ratings battle with Sid the Kid and his Penguins’ matchup against the low-draw Senators. It’s believed by the higher-ups that Sidney Crosby alone will draw more viewers from across the country than Martin Brodeur, Zach Parise and the Devils or Jeff Carter, Mike Richards and the Flyers.

Whichever team makes it to the next round will be deemed worthy of getting the national spotlight. Otherwise, for now, first round play will only be seen on local affiliates. Bruins/Sabres fans, fret not, your teams will be on Versus next week.

Hockey Exercise: Quick Footwork and Agility

Hockey Workout for Quick Footwork and Agility

Generally speaking, your hockey workout routine should consist of year-round off-ice strength and conditioning if you want to maintain a higher level of performance on the rink year-in and year-out. The most effective workout plan is a balance of strength training, plyometrics, and speed and agility drills. If you do all of these, you will find an increase in your skating speed , better strength along the boards, and greater endurance during shifts.

A great workout that will help to better your footwork, agility and all-around explosiveness is jump rope. This exercise gets your hip flexors fired up and also helps to build up your on-shift stamina, too.

There are a ton of jump rope styles, but the one that is most effective for a hockey player is called the “running jump rope style”. It’s exactly as it sounds and what you do is run in place, but with specific focus of having high knees while jumping one foot over the rope per each rotation.

It’s awkward to begin – jumping rope on one leg and alternating legs for each “jump” – so start out slow and get good form built in to your rotation. When comfortable, begin moving for max speed.

What’s the difference between running in place while jumping rope and simply running?

Well, with the jump rope, you are being forced to move at a faster pace, as opposed to simply jogging. This helps to speed up your footwork, while simultaneously increasing your agility.

This workout might seem easy – and eventually it is – but make sure that you don’t take it easy. You should be pushing yourself all throughout and you should find it extremely challenging – never settle in to a comfortable pace – constantly push yourself for a faster speed. The longer you do this over time, the longer you’ll be able to last out the rink.

And don’t’ worry if you happen to get caught up in the rope . . .

. . . it happens to everyone. Good luck!

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Hockey Trivia and Hockey TV Schedule

As the playoffs begin to get underway this upcoming week, I figure to share some cool Stanley Cup trivia with all y’all . . .

Did you know that from 1976 to 1990 there was only one non-Canadian hockey team to win the Stanley Cup? You betcha – the New York Islanders are that team.

They won the Cup . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again from 1980 to 1983. Before that, Philly won in ’74 and ’75, otherwise the Montreal Canadiens won it in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979 and 1986. The Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1990. And the Calgary Flames hoisted the trophy in 1989.

Since 1990 though, only one Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup – and it was Patrick Roy and the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 when they beat Wayne Gretzky and the L.A. Kings. Since then, Canadian teams have made it to the finals, but none have brought it back to Canada.

Crazy stuff. You know what else is crazy? The TV hockey schedule for this upcoming week between NBC and Versus; my DVR will be on serious overload, lol.

Right now, only NBC has its game listed. Versus will post their schedule as soon as the NHL playoff standings are finalized so make sure to check back on the site for an updated post once it’s all up there. Otherwise, have a look at tomorrow’s game on NBC. Time is EST.

Sunday: Boston Bruins at Washington Capitals, Noon

Enjoy!

Great Hockey Goal of the Week: Chad Larose

Goal of the Week:

 

Amazing diving hockey goal of the week from Chad Larose of the Carolina Hurricanes during last night’s victory over the still playoff berth-less Montreal Canadiens.



Kid’s got some skill but has played only a limited amount of games this season; he stays healthy next season and he can be a nice compliment to the Hurricane’s offense.

Hockey News: Players Beat Coach After Winning Championship

Oh hockey gods, please, say it ain’t so . . .

Hockey might now be mentioned in the same breath as, *sigh*, basketball; that is, its players attack their coaches.

Crazy hockey story out of Slovenia: Mike Posma, yes, THE former American Hockey Player (don’t act like you don’t know who he is), coached the Acroni Jesenice hockey team to its third consecutive championship (he only took over last season) on Saturday.

Celebrations, of course, ensued, only to result in Posma being beaten by his wooden street sign-wheeling players.

Question – why?

Well, it appears that during the celebration, there was some drinking – enough to the point that everyone was – admittedly – drunk. Posma, for whatever reason, elected to convince/bully the 19-year-old backup goalie for the team to get behind the wheel and drive everyone home. The goalie got into an accident en route, the players in the car got pissed, there happened to be street signs on the side of the road and so Posma got beaten.

Make sense? Yeah, I didn’t think so either.

The 42-year old from New Jersey got some cuts and bruises but was otherwise not seriously injured.



The baseball aspiring players have all since been released from the team, although five of them deny being involved (or – more likely – don’t remember being involved). Posma, meanwhile, has come back to the States, forcing the team to suspend contract talks with their championship-winning coach.

Crazy ending to an otherwise successful season for Acroni Jesenice. Word of advice – if you play hockey and win a championship and happen to go out celebrating, make sure to stay away from drunk Slovenias hanging out on the side of the road.

Hockey Music: Hockey

Each Wednesday I like to devote a little bit of the blogumnspace to good musicians out there who are doing good by supporting the great sport of hockey. This week’s choice – Portland-based band, Hockey.

Made up of five members – singer Benjamin Grubin, guitarist Brian White, bassist Jeremy Reynolds, drummer Anthony Stassi and touring keyboardist Ryan Dolliver – the band has been compared to the likes of The Strokes. Hockey released a home-made album two years ago and just last year built up enough popularity about themselves to get a stage at the recent Glastonbury concert. Spin magazine, amongst other fairly significant music pubs out there, have begun to pick up on the buzz starting to surround this band.

They’ve got a good sound to them. Plus, you really can’t go wrong with such an awesome name.

Here’s one of their more popular songs, “Song Away”:



Sing. Dance. Play hockey!

Funny Hockey Photo _ Great Hockey Fight

Awesomely funny hockey picture below between two #13s on the LA Kings and the Phoenix Coyotes, neither of whom are presently on the roster.

A dispute over who was the better #13 came to ass slapping and gymnastics. Kudos to the photographer for capturing this, *ahem, unique moment on the rink.

Speaking of hockey fights, I’m thinking of devoting Tuesdays to hockey fights as well as photos from now on. That said, see below for one of the better scraps to have ever been scrapped . . . between Mike Vernon of the Detroit Red Wings and Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche. Enjoy!

Hockey Quote: Ron Tugnutt

Ronald Frederick Bra Tugnutt – AKA Ron Tugnutt during his playing days – was a mediocre goalie during his 16-year career. 186 wins to 239 losses with a 3.05 GAA, the man didn’t have many highlights during his tenure in the NHL.

He did, however, grab a good chunk of media space back in 1999 when he was on the Ottawa Senators – playing as an opponent of Wayne Gretzky and the New York Rangers – in Gretzky’s last game of his career on Canadian ice. Given the significance of the event, it was a bit surprising that Tugnutt of all people was able to grab a good chunk of space in the papers following the game with his great one-liner leading into the game itself:

"I'm hoping for a bench clearing brawl during the warm-up so I can go out and grab his (Gretzky) stick."

A lot of people got a kick out of that one. For that LOL’er, enjoy another one of “Tugs” highlights below – a 70-friggen save performance from ’91.  

Hockey Workout: Improving Balance

One of the physical skills that makes hockey more unique than the rest of the majors out there is the need to have excellent balance on skates. Whether it’s carrying the puck in to the zone, working along the boards, or even skating back to get in to position to score, your effectiveness in the game depends largely on how well balanced you are on your skates (you can’t be all that effective if you’re flopping around on the blue line).

A great exercise to help improve your balance can actually be done outside of the rink. Start off by standing on one foot with your eyes closed for as long as you can. Switch legs and try the other side. Comfortable? Great – now repeat and this time try and do single-leg squats, flexing your knee to 90 degrees. Hold the position for 30-seconds and then switch sides. Once comfortable, extend to 60 seconds.



When you’re good at holding these single leg squats with your eyes closed, try hopping from leg to leg – 30 seconds on one leg, 30 on the other. Go back and forth as long as you can hold the positions without shaking or losing your balance. As you get better, extend the hold time. The longer you practice, the better you’ll find your balance on skates.

Believe it or not, coaches who incorporate this exercise in to their team’s workout regimen actually have their players wear their equipment when doing the reps on dry land so that they’re more comfortable and better balanced when wearing their gear. I would recommend trying this out, but I’m not sure how your neighbors would react should they happen to see you in a window hopping around with your eyes closed on one leg while wearing hockey equipment ;-)

Hockey Trivia and Hockey TV Schedule

As the NHL kicks it in to high gear this week with the playoff races getting tighter, the teams on the bubble that make it in get there because of clutch performances by their key players. This week’s did-you-know fact has to do with one clutch performance in particular.

Did you know that during the 1905 Stanley Cup Finals, Frank McGee of the Ottawa Silver Seven scored 14 goals in a game against the Dawson City Nuggets? The final score was 23-2. Talk about your blow-outs. Not only that, it McGee did this AFTER having lost an eye in local amateur hockey; he was playing partially blind.

The youngest player on the team and standing 5'6" tall, McGee actually scored 135 goals in 45 games with the Silver Seven, before officially retiring in 1906.

Anyhow, now that you’ve got that wrinkle in your brain, here’s our weekly hockey schedule – remember, all times are EST. 

NBC
Detroit at Philadelphia, 1230pm

Versus is manning up for the playoff race, increasing their hockey schedule ten-fold for this week:
Mon: Boston at Washington, 7:00
Tues: Washington at Pittsburgh, 7:30
Tues: Colorado at Vancouver, 10:00 -- blacked out in local markets
Wed: Toronto at Rangers, 7:00
Thurs: Buffalo at Boston, 7:00
Thurs: Montreal at Carolina 7:30 p.m. (airs only in Buffalo and Boston)
Thurs: Vancouver at San Jose 10:30 p.m.
Fri: TBD 7:00 p.m.
Fri: TBD 7:00 p.m. (game to air in TBD markets of above game)
Fri: Chicago at Colorado (Joined in progress following TBD 7:00 p.m. game)

Better get a Costco-sized box of microwavable popcorn for this week – it’s going to be a good one!

Great Hockey Goal of the Week: Matt Frittin

Matt Frattin of the North Dakota Fighting Sioux Hockey Team scored this ridonkulous goal against Yale University's Men's Hockey Team earlier in the week in the NCAA Regional Final. According to the video description, it even earned playtime on *gasp ESPN’s Sportscenter. Enjoy!

Hockey News: Mike Modano Set to Retire?

It’s being reported on ESPN that Mike Modano is giving strong consideration to hanging up his skates after this season. This comes not too long after his emergency appendectomy earlier in the season, which surely contributed greatly to the physical toll of playing an entire NHL season for the Dallas Stars. At 39, he probably just does not have enough gas left in the tank to bounce back like he used to.

"I think about it," said Modano. "If things don't work out over the course of the month or two after the season, that could be it."

This is big news – and certainly worth two posts in one day – because Modano is considered by many to be among the top-5 American-born players to ever play the game (some even argue top-3).

It’s a hard case against it when you take a look at his stats.

1,454 games played (that’s 16 seasons of playing 75 games or more); 556 goals; 799 assists; 1355 points; only 916 penalty minutes. And if you want clutch, look at his playoff numbers: 174 games played, 58 goals, 87 assists; 145 points and only 128 penalty minutes.

He’s played in seven All-Star Games and appeared in three Stanley Cup Finals series, winning the Cup with the Stars in ‘99. He’s sure to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer – and certainly worth such a high honor.

Modano has also been an integral part to the growth seen in the USA Hockey program over the past decade, due largely in part to his success in representing USA in three Winter Olympics and the world cup in 1996. 

There’s some irony – should this be his last season – that he would play his last game in he Minnesota, that which did not escape Modano: "I don't know if that one is going to be it," Modano said. "But it is kind of rare and ironic if it ends in Minnesota."

Something tells me that if it is his last game, the Minnesota fans will send him off right.

Hockey Chump stick taps all around for the great Mike Modano. Here’s a video that the Stars played after Modano scored his 500th goal – enjoy!

Hockey News: Blackhawks Sniff Out a New Way to Jinx Themselves

Very funny article by Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy fame having to do with a controversial outdoor mural of Chicago Blackhawks' captain Jonathan Toews in Chicago.

Have a look below.

Besides the fact that the Blackhawks officially jinxed themselves out of winning the Stanley Cup until the mural comes down (mind you, this painting is the first time the Blackhawks have had the Cup in Chicago since 1961), the other controversy with this massive painting has to do with the misrepresentation of Toews’s, *ahem*, snout.

The obviousness of the awkwardness of the nose is clearly evident from the highly trafficked Eisenhower Expressway. Why it wasn’t fixed, who knows. There are plenty of muzzle gags circulating the Web right now, but a lot of the better ones appear in Wyshynski’s article, so make sure to check it out.

Hockey is – as even the most common of fans will tell you – a very superstitious sport. So to put an image of the Cup up – next to an image of their Captain – before the playoffs have even begun – has a lot of fans in the Windy City throwing their arms up saying, “Well, you might as well bring out a goat, black cat and Steve Bartman.”

I say, relax Blackhawks fans. This could be worse. I mean, it’s not like you jinxed the team at the beginning of the season by allowing one of your star players to be the cover boy for EA sports NHL 2010.

Oh wait.