Tag: NHL

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NHL General

The NHL and Amazon Unbox get it


It’s not often that we give the NHL’s promotion and marketing department props around here. After all, they are a league stuck on a network we can’t seem to find. But Eric over at Offwingopinion mentioned he downloaded four classic NHL games via Amazon Unbox today. Brilliantly, you can download it directly to your tivo.

This has me very excited. Not because I want to download a game where the Red Wings complete a sweep of the Flyers to win the Stanley Cup. (I think that’s the game, Amazon does a poor job of episode descriptions — it just says Air Date: 6/8/1997. I assume that the clincher is the classic game. Or maybe not.) In any case, I am excited because eventually the NFL will get their heads out of their asses and let us download classic NFL games too.

Imagine instead of getting grainy 3rd generation VHS copy of your favorite games, you could actually download a fairly decent version for $3. I’d do it in a heartbeat. I can guarantee that the moment they offer it up, I will buy three Eagles games from the past: 1980 NFC Game vs the Cowboys, the 2004 NFCCG vs the Falcons, and the 1995 Eagles vs Lions playoff game.

The NFL hates the idea that people might figure out a way copy and distribute the videos freely. But if you make it cheap enough, say, $2.99, there’s no need for most fans to spend hours finding the stuff online. I’d rather pay $3 for a game than have to worry about whether I’m going to get a virus from some shady site. Plus, most potential customers of classic games have jobs (except perhaps Raiders fans) and won’t think twice about spending $3. Maybe now that Roger Goodell has everyone scared to death of the new personal conduct policy, he can find some time to assign someone to figure this out.

Links:

[Amazon Unbox]: Classic NHL games

Categories
Calgary Flames

The NHL is not messing around with slashing

With the game out of hand on Saturday night, Calgary backup goalie Jamie McLennan went a little nuts and whacked Johan Franzen in the midsection with his stick. As you can see from the video, it’s not a huge slash but the NHL came down hard on McLennan and the Flames for the violation.

McLennan got a five game suspension, his coach got a $25k fine, and the Flames’ organization got a $100,000 fine. The league had warned all teams about any shady business late it the game after a game was out of control.

Franzen, the recipient of the lumber, got the last laugh as he scored the game-winning goal in OT of game 6 on Sunday to send the Flames packing from the playoffs.

Links:
[Canada.com]: NHL suspends Flames goalie 5 games

Categories
Anaheim Ducks

Snoop likes hockey? Oh, fo shizzle!

Everyone knows that Snoop Dog is a Lakers and Trojans fan, and now it looks like he’s starting to jump on the Anaheim Ducks bandwagon. Here’s a clip from Snoopy’s appearance on FSN during intermission of Thursday’s game. Sounds like the Dogfather got dragged down to the game by his son but it seems like Snoop is still enjoying himself. Heck, he’s even rockin’ the foam finger! We’re wondering if that might be one of those jewelry carrying foam fingers, kinda like Michael Vick’s water bottle safe. After all, Snoop does seem like he’s awfully “high” on the Ducks all of a sudden.

Everyone else has tried, maybe the rappers can save hockey.

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General Sports

April 18 2007 episode of Poor Man’s PTI

blog radio

Welcome to another episode of Poor Man’s PTI. This week we have Eric McErlain from Offwing Opinion and NHL Fanhouse on with us to talk about the NHL playoffs. Lots of great NHL talk this week as we fill up our allotment for the year.

You can download this week’s podcast directly (running time 70 mins) or subscribe to the feed.  

If you use iTunes, just click here and then click subscribe and iTunes will take care of the rest.

This week’s topics include:

  • Virginia Tech and the media coverage
  • Vince Young and the Madden curse
  • Joey Crawford and Tim Duncan
  • the NHL Playoffs
  • The Boston Pizza Party

Hope you guys enjoy the podcast.  If you did enjoy it, please give us a good rating below so we can rise up in the rankings. If you didn’t, send us an email ([email protected]) and give us some suggestions. Thanks for listening.

Categories
Buffalo Sabres

Top 10 Most Gruesome sports injuries: #1 Clint Malarchuk

[Sportscolumn is running down the ten most gruesome sports injuries. Here’s #1]

There’s no doubt that hockey is a brutal sport where anything can happen and blood on the ice is often more common than goals in the net. But there was nothing common about a March 22, 1989 game between the Blues and the Sabres. Buffalo goalie Clint Malarchuk was involved in the most nightmarish accident in the history of hockey as the Blues’ Steve Tuttle collided with Malarchuk at the goal and his skate accidentally severed the interior carotid artery of the goalie. Instantly, there was a massive pool of blood collecting on the ice beneath him and with every pump of his heart more blood would spurt from his gash.

I thought I was dying then, I really did. I thought I didn’t have long to live.” Malarchuk said. “All I wanted to do was get off the ice. My mother was watching the game on TV, and I didn’t want her to see me die.

And she very easily could have seen just that, but the doctors at Buffalo General Hospital didn’t let that happen as they repaired his severed jugular vein and he was amazingly released the next afternoon.

I didn’t go into any real shock. I think maybe if I had any shock, it was this morning,” Malarchuk told the press after being released. “I’m not going off on a stretcher, I never will. The day I go off on a stretcher, they’re going to have to make funeral arrangements. I’m proud of that fact that I got off the ice on my own power.

Now, that’s one tough S.O.B. Dwyane Wade could learn a lot from Mr. Malarchuk.

And here’s the actual play call as it happened live with color commentator Mike Robitaille and longtime voice of the Sabres Ted Darling behind the mics.

Back to #2

Categories
Vancouver Canucks

Odds and Ends: Watch out for the crackers!



Endorsement deal coming up

Vancouver Canuck Brent Sopel enters the stupid injury hall of fame after he got a back spasm while bending down to pick up a cracker. He missed the morning practice and the epic 4 OT game last night between the Canucks and the Stars. That’s gotta be the weakest injury since Marty Cordova missed a game because he spent too much time under a tanning bed.

What? Were you expecting a Chris Rock joke?

In other news…

[AOL Sports]: Jason Whitlock: “I’m calling for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, the president and vice president of Black America, to step down.”

[Sports by Brooks]: So that’s what Elizabeth Shue has been up to

[Flash Warner]: Would it really make a difference if the Raiders had an easy schedule?

[AOL Fanhouse]: Super-Gangsta Stu Scott says calling a woman a Ho is “affectionate”. And when we call Stu a douchebag, it’s a term of endearment.

[Egotastic]: Will Ferrell + Jenna Fischer in a corset = awesome. (via Mr. Irrelevant)

And finally, two different takes on Drew Bledsoe’s retirement. This one is nice. This one is just mean.

Categories
Florida Panthers

Ed Belfour picks a fight with a cop


There must be something in the Miami water system that makes athletes go nuts because James Posey wasn’t the only athlete to get wasted and do something stupid last night.

Ed Belfour was arrested early this morning after he refused to leave a South Beach bar and decided that he would settle the dispute in a good ol’ slugfest, just like on the ice. Belfour took a “fighting stance” and shoved the police officer who was to assist him from the club. Then the Florida Panthers goalie really started resisting.

Belfour pulled away from the officer trying to arrest him and grabbed his shirt. The hockey player then fell forward on the ground, kicking and refusing to place his hands behind his back, the report said.

The skirmish ended when the cop zapped the blitzed Belfour with a Taser gun. Very becoming, you stay classy Eddie.

Police reported that Belfour had slurred speech, blood shot eyes and smelled of alcohol and charged him with disorderly intoxication and resisting an officer without violence. Too bad there’s no “resisting an officer with a tantrum” charge on the books.

Belfour’s partner in crime was teammate Ville Peltonen who got picked up on charges of criminal mischief after snapping a pole off a fire truck. But who cares, after all he didn’t even get electrocuted.

Links:

[MSNBC]: Belfour arrested after trying to fight cop
[Local10.com]: Panther players arrested in alleged police scuffle

Categories
All Other Sports

Odds and Ends: Help a fat man run the Boston Marathon


We’ve got a weird ebay auction for you today. The first is a fat guy who is going to run the Boston Marathon for charity. He is not officially entered in the marathon but will run behind as a “bandit”. If he can’t finish the marathon, the winning bidder can put any tattoo on his back.

OK, this guy weighs 438 pounds and has 3 months to prepare. You know what the chances of him finishing the marathon are? None. Slim was never even in the building. This auction benefits the American Cancer Society but we’re not sure how good the press is going to be when this guy drops dead after 2 miles.

In other news…

[Chicago Tribune]: The Blackhawks can’t even give tickets away

[Can’t Stop the Bleeding]: Yankees minor league mascot busted for soliciting a 14-year-old boy for sex. How did Chris Hanson miss this opportunity?

[The Good Phight]: Protection: What the numbers say

[MLB Fanhouse]: Dontrelle Willis and Friends Made It Rain in Spring Training

[NBA.com]: Chinese nicknames for NBA players

Categories
NHL General

What would you do with the Stanley Cup?


Lord Stanley’s Cup is without question the most awesome trophy in all of sports. (And if you think otherwise, we say good day, sir.) We love the stories of players bathing their kids and drinking beer out of it. Well, here’s your chance to have the Stanley Cup in your home delivered personally by Mark Messier.

Of sports promotions, this is a pretty damn cool one. Unfortunately, it’s only available to the fine folks north of us. Hockey Night in Canada is asking for video entries from hockey fans telling them how you watch the playoffs and asking them to show off their hockey shrine.

The Grand Prize is having the Stanley Cup delivered by Messier for a party at your home during the playoffs. The winner also gets a custom hockey shrine in their home created by the Hockey Night in Canada set designers. Pretty cool, eh?

We would love to enter this contest but unfortunately, 1) we don’t live in Canada, and 2) flipping through the Versus broadcast on the way to the NBA playoffs doesn’t qualify. We joke. We joke. Hockey playoffs are awesome. We’ll definitely be tuning in for that eventual Buffalo-Ottawa matchup.

Links:
[CBC]: Bring Home the Cup official page

Categories
New Jersey Devils

You should see what they planned to do if he was in second place

Lou Lamoriello, one of the best GMs in sports according to Forbes, fired Claude Julien today.  The Devils are first place in the division, won four of the last five and are headed into the playoffs as potentially the number 2 seed in the conference.  Does Lou Lamoriello think he’s Pat Riley or something.

This is the oddest firing we’ve ever heard of.  We’ll let James Mirtle do the commentary:


Obviously there are some tensions behind the scenes to which we haven’t been privy to — but my guess is that’s something that will come out over the next few days. Duhatschek notes that many players looked at the team’s coaching situation as one where Lamoriello was pulling the strings from on high anyway.

Of course, hockey’s wiliest GM has pulled this stunt more than once before, which makes me wonder just who will be willing to take on the Devils’ coaching role in the future given their volatile boss and a lack of job security.

Behind the scenes?  Hmmmm… did someone sleep with someone’s wife?

Links:
[James Mirtle]: Lamoriello cans his coach