On Wednesday, many things occurred, for good and for bad. Duke beat its longtime rival UNC in Chapel Hill and the the market plunged even further (recession??). But, good things happened too, including Dick Vitale's return (gosh, I love that man). And, President Bush Jr. welcomed the 2006-07 reigning Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Mighty Ducks to the White House for tea and crumpets. Unfortunately, comm. Gary Bettman slipped through secret service and enjoyed the spotlight as well. The Ducks won the Cup. I am not sure what the President had to offer Bettman other than a toupee.

After the ceremony, the Ducks traveled to the World’s Most Famous Arena (MSG). They face the Rangers on Thursday before making their way to the Prudential Center on Friday night. One man in their lineup will be making his first return to New Jersey since signing with the Ducks prior to the 2005-06 season. Scott Niedermayer, defenseman and older brother of Rob (forward for Ducks), played 12 hard-fought seasons in the Garden State, winning 3 Cups along the way. Devils fans should greet him with the utmost respect on Friday. Outside of Daneyko, Stevens, Brodeur and Elias, he was one of the most successful skaters in our history. He departed the organization for less money, to ultimate be with his family.

In smaller potato-sized news, I just wanted to give a shout out to Devils forward Sergei Brylin who played in his 300th consecutive game last night. Only Ken Daneyko (388), Kirk Muller (321) and Jay Pandolfo (307) have longer streaks in Devils history (Rich Chere). One of the major reasons the Devils have had success since the early 90s is their ability to stay healthy. In sports, the average professional tenure is very short. Pando, who would have continued his streak, suffered an injury earlier this season, but has since returned to the lineup. Brylin might not overpower you with Jaromir Jagr size or Alex Ovechkin speed, but he’s been an important part of Banners hanging above the Prudential Center’s ice.

In worse news, the Russian Hockey League is almost ready to rival with the NHL. The following news does not surprise me. It irritates me. I am scared that this new competition will be strong for the NHL to overcome. Even though the NHL has more teams, more money, the league was suffered a lockout a few years ago, and many fans are still tentative about returning to their seats (many traditional places still sell out all of their tickets, i.e. Montreal).

“On Wednesday, Bloomberg news reported that Vladislav Tretiak, the legendary goaltender who's now president of the Russian Hockey Federation, and energy tycoon Alexander Medvedev have signed an agreement to create the rival league by April 15.”

“The rival league, which will be known as the Continental Hockey League, will have 20 Russian teams and an undetermined number of foreign clubs, Bloomberg reported. “

Rick Tocchet, the gambler who was banned for two years for his part in a gambling ring in New Jersey, will likely make his return to the bench as an assistant under Wayne Gretzky's Phoenix Coyotes tonight The Coyotes are enjoying a magical run right now. They have 60 point,1 point away from the eighth seed in the western conference. So, hopefully Tocchet learned his mistake and will keep his mouth shut and not fuck up the Coyotes chances of making the playoff. They have not qualify for the postseason since 2001-02. Although the 8th seed likely faces Detroit in the first round, the 'Yotes would be grateful just to be there. Believe me. 

Lastly, Sidney Crosby, who crashed into the boards on Jan. 18, suffering a high ankle sprain, returned to the ice this week. Although he is likely out 6-8 weeks or until early March, the team officials will monitor his progression, taking every necessary precaution to get their captain and leader back into lineup as soon as he’s healthy. (tip Pittsburgh Tribune-Review) Pittsburgh is 3-2-2 without Crosby in the rotation. Despite playing short-handed with 6 players on IR, the Penguins have remained in contention for the division title. With 63 points, they are 2 behind the Flyers for the Atlantic lead and 6th place in the eastern conference standings, only 4 points ahead of eighth-place Boston. Credit Evgeni Malkin who has 11 points in 7 games without Crosby and Petr Sykora (8 points), who scored his 600th point on Monday night. Both skaters have big shoes to fill and are expected to carry the team in Crosby’s absence.

• ‹ previous
• 379 of 430
• next ›