Tag: NHL

Does America now love hockey?


If you watched Canada beat the United States in overtime Sunday night in the Olympics, you were not alone. Far from it. From Puck The Media:

The 27.6 million viewers for Sunday’s gold medal game was 10.5 million more (up 61 percent) from the Canada-USA gold medal game from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics (17.1 million viewers). The 15.2/30 rating for yesterday’s game was four-and-a-half rating points higher than the 10.7/24 for the 2002 gold medal game and was the highest-rated hockey game of any kind since the USA vs. Finland 1980 gold medal game (23.2/61). The “Miracle on Ice” semifinal game between the USA and Russia had a household rating of a 23.9/37.

27.6 million viewers for a hockey game? I guess it didn’t hurt that it was actually a good, exciting game. Much like how some people watch NASCAR in the hopes that they will see a crash, it’s possible that some people tuned in Sunday in the hopes that Sidney Crosby would punch someone in testicles.

Does this mean Americans are now in love with hockey and will now watch the NHL? My guess is that Gary Bettman sure hopes so.

No Comments by Rick on March 2, 2010
filed in Hockey
tagged , , , , , , , ,

Capitals versus Penguins

The Washington Capitals head into Mellon Arena tonight to take on the Pittsburgh Penguins. It’s the first time the two teams have met on frozen water to play hockey since Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals. In that game the Caps totally collapsed and lost to the Penguins 6-2.

It was a disgusting, demoralizing loss. The Penguins went on beat the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup finals.

As long as I’ve lived here in Maryland, the Penguins have been the biggest rivalry of the Capitals. The Penguins always seem to be the team to end the Stanley Cup playoff run of the Capitals. It happened in the 1994-95 season, the 1995-96 season, the 1999-00 season, the 2000-2001, and of course the 2008-09 season.

Even before moving to Maryland, I hated the Penguins. That feeling has only intensified since living here.

The game tonight will feature two of the sport’s best players, that testicle puncher Sidney Crosby and the Russian male model Alex Ovechkin. Some like to say that Crosby and Ovechkin are to the NHL what Bird and Magic were to the NBA, except of course Bird and Magic played basketball and neither Crosby or Ovechkin is black. Other than that, the two rivalries are just a like.

It’s imperative that the Capitals defeat the Penguins tonight. I have it on good authority that every time the Penguins beat the Capitals, God kills a puppy and the devil gives Adolf Hitler a big glass of ice cold water.

1 Comment by Rick on January 21, 2010
filed in Hockey
tagged , , , , , , , , , ,

Hockey player shows his displeasure by slashing his own goalie’s ear

There is nothing like good old fashioned southern hockey. Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Ballard failed to secure the rebounding puck which resulted in a goal for Atlanta Thrashers forward Ilya Kovalchuk. Ballard was so beside himself that he swung his stick like a baseball bat at the goal. The problem is that goalie Tomas Vokoun’s head got in the way.

Opps. I hate when that happens.

I’m not expert in childish behavior, but couldn’t Ballard come up with some other way of showing his emotions? Perhaps he could suck his thumb or break one of his favorite toys.

by Rick on December 1, 2009
filed in Hockey
tagged , , , , , ,

Hockey goal of the year

David Perron of the St. Louis Blues scores what has to be the goal of the year on the New York Islanders yesterday.

by Rick on November 22, 2009
filed in Hockey
tagged , , , , ,

Rick Nash lifts his leg on Duck goalie

I’m not sure I understand why Columbus Blue Jackets Rick Nash felt the need to lift one foot in the air before shooting the puck, but he did end up putting the puck in the net, so he must know what he’s doing. Maybe he was trying to do one of those Captain Morgan leg lifts that people do in commercials. The NFL clamped down on a guerrilla ad campaign launched by Diageo, the maker of Captain Morgan rum. Diageo was evidently paying NFL players to strike the pose during NFL games.

Is Diageo doing something similar in the NHL?

by Rick on November 14, 2009
filed in Hockey
tagged , , , , , , , ,

The Pittsburgh Penguins win Lord Stanley’s gigantic fancy silver cup

PittsburghPenguins

The National Hockey League has a champion and it’s not the Detroit Red Wings. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings, 2008 NHL champions,  Friday night in game seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup.

It’s the Pen’s first Stanley Cup championship in 17-years.   It makes the third time they’ve won.

The Red Wings beat the Penguins in last year’s Stanley Cup. This year was a rematch with a much different outcome.

I guess I was rooting for the Red Wings. I figured with the collapse of the American auto industry, motor city deserved a win. Plus, I’ve learned that there really is nothing more obnoxious than a Pittsburgh sports fan. I’m of course only referring to the fans of the Steelers and the Penguins.

The Pirates don’t have any fans. Mouth breathing, yellow towel waiving Pittsburgh fans conveniently forget that they have a really bad Major League Baseball team.

I then saw Muhammad Ali in a luxury box wearing a Red Wings sweater (jersey for all you non-hockey nerds) and I suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to root for the other team.

2 Comments by Rick on June 14, 2009
filed in Sports
tagged , , , , , , , , ,

The sucker punch heard around the world


Far be it for me to come to the defense of a Boston professional sports team, but this punch to the face of Boston Bruins Aaron Ward by Carolina Hurricane Scott Walker is just a tad bit ridiculous. Ward was still holding his stick in his left hand when Walker sucker punched him, possibly breaking his orbital bone.

This is such a cheap shot that it’s almost Sidney Crosby like. Almost.

Scott Walker was fined $2,500 for the punch, but it turns out he will not face any kind of suspension. The NHL decided to rescind the automatic one-game suspension that was administered at the time of the hit. It makes me wonder what exactly is so “automatic” about it.

This wasn’t a fight. It takes two people to fight. The NHL erred in rescinding the suspension. All this means is that Bruins will undoubtedly take matters into their own hands and administer their own form of justice on the ice.

by Rick on May 12, 2009
filed in Sports
tagged , , , , , , , ,