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Ruutu's bite night? Expect the NHL to respond
Jarkko Ruutu bites … apparently. The irritating Senators forward earned the league some valuable SportsCenter time by biting the hand that was face-washing him. In this case, the face-washing han...
With All-Star Game fan voting in, now it's my turn
Let me say it right off the top: I'm not a big fan of the NHL All-Star Game. I've probably been to too many of the no-hitters over the years to appreciate them for exactly what they are: a great even...
Crosby drops the gloves, but Pens' problems remain the same
Here's some more Winter Classic fallout. Not surprisingly, NBC was thrilled with the second Winter Classic. Thursday's Wings-Hawks tilt at Wrigley earned a 2.9 overnight rating, up 12 percent from la...
What now for the Classic? Here are five things for the NHL to consider
What's next? That's the natural question after the league's second successful Winter Classic. Here are five things I think the league should consider going forward. 1. Ovechkin! When I talk to peopl...
Instant analysis from Winter Classic
• After falling behind 3-1 in the first period, the Wings charged into the lead with a three-goal second period. Underrated Wings left winger Jiri Hudler netted a pair of rebound goals to ...
Winter Classic brings back some ol' Windy City memories
CHICAGO -- First things first: It is very cool to see a hockey rink set up inside Wrigley Field. For hockey fans, I think it's a rink of dreams type thing. Maybe King Clancy will skate through the cen...
Time to shed some light on the unheralded
In the spirit of the holiday season, I figured it was a good time to offer a little love to some guys who -- for one reason or another -- don't seem to be getting the attention that they deserve. Most...
Woes continue for "no heart" Senators
They say desperate times call for desperate measures. If that's true, they must have hit on hard times in Ottawa. On Friday night, trying to shake a 1-3-1 slide (and an 0-6-2 road skid), Senators co...
What Gaborik's return means for him, Wild lineup
Can you believe it? Wild winger Marian Gaborik might actually play in tonight's tilt against the visiting Flames. The Slovakian sniper has been sidelined by a "lower-body" injury that has caused him t...
Here you go, Flyers fans … some love for your team
Who says I don't read your comments? You all want some Flyers chatter? I'll give you some Flyers chatter! You Flyers fans who want some love are bang on about your boys. The Flyers have really gotten...
The Daily 5: What caught our eye this past weekend
It was a terrific weekend for me. I got to see three games in three states in a 27-hour span: I caught the Devils versus the Rangers in the great state of New Jersey on Friday night, the Flyers versus...
Yes, I'm going there again … I'm writing something good about the Bruins
In March -- March 3, to be exact -- I decided to file a short blog entry in this space to commend the surprisingly sturdy 2007-08 Bruins. At the time, they had won six straight to improve to a very im...
With Laviolette gone, here are latest coaches on hot seat
Another day, another NHL coach fired. On Wednesday, the Hurricanes dropped the ax on Peter Laviolette, who led them to a Stanley Cup in 2006. Club ownership must have been convinced a change was neces...
Stars need to admit mistake and move on ... without Sean Avery
There might be a place in the NHL for Sean Avery . But this much is clear: That place isn't Dallas. He just doesn't fit there. And really, that's not his fault. After all, Avery didn't go to Big D an...
Selanne's power-play heroics, Claude's comeback and those pesky Kings
With my apologies to the good folks at "SportsCenter," here is a hat trick of "Did You Knows?" for Tuesday. Did you know … • That Teemu Selanne 's past 12 goals have come on the powe...
Can Brian Burke really deliver in Toronto?
On Saturday afternoon (a fitting time for a wedding of sorts), the Maple Leafs and Brian Burke finally tied the knot with a six-year deal worth a reported $18 million. The team responded to the news b...
My Top 5 turkeys: The list isn't pretty!
It doesn't get much more traditional -- at least here in the United States -- than turkey on Thanksgiving. The NFL will be delivering a pair of turkeys (Titans-Lions and Seahawks-Cowboys) into Americ...
Patrick Roy's jersey ceremony? I, for one, wasn't all misty-eyed
I have to tell you, I wasn't one to get all misty eyed over Patrick Roy 's gala jersey retirement ceremony in Montreal.

Hey, it was a great night, and the Canadiens' staff does a great job with these...
Monday stats pack: Kings' numbers (not Wings) impressing me
You just never know what you're going to find when you take a few minutes to look through the league's massive stats package. Here are three things that kind of surprised me (the numbers didn't includ...
My take on the Weight-Sutter incident
There's been a lot of commentary concerning Islanders center Doug Weight 's nasty open-ice hit on Hurricanes rookie Brandon Sutter during the third period of Saturday night's game between the clubs on...