Wrote this for the blog I usually write at IllegalCurve.com – they didn’t think it was appropriate for the site so I’ll have it here for my personal records.
I don’t know if this will be a regular feature on the site, but I’ll give it a try. This could be our regular afternoon feature “Around the NHL”. Similar to the Winnipeg Jets Afternoon News, this will cover the top stories in the NHL. I’ll also add in a few non-NHL news articles as well.
What’s on TV tonight? – Montreal Canadiens vs. Carolina Hurricanes (TSN) – 6pm CST. TSN will also be streaming the game from TSN.ca. Personally, I’d like to see more programming streamed online from Canada’s leader in sports entertainment.
ESPN: Pierre LeBrun previews tonight’s match up which he considers the best rivalry in hockey; Vancouver Canucks vs. Chicago Blackhawks. On the Illegal Curve Hockey Show this past Saturday Drew called the best rivalry right now Anaheim vs. Nashville, I’ll take Vancouver v. Chicago any day of the week. It’s worth noting that Vancouver Called up former Manitoba Moose Eddie Lack from their farm team, Chicago. No word on how the Wolves’ attendance has gone this year after their affiliation moved from the Thrashers to the Canucks.
Globe & Mail: Suspension Alert! Suspension Alert! Could we see Brendan Shanahan in a new NHL.com video? The Globe says Chris Stewart could be suspended for a questionable hit on Niklas Kronwall. After viewing the hit it looks like Stewart ran him into the boards from behind, I could see him getting a few games for this. Nice to see Kronwalls teammates come to his defense (naturally…although after the events of the week, that wouldn’t be the case on all NHL teams).
The Score: Dion Phaneuf top 10 Hits – I was at the gym the other day and this came on the TV. Watch Dion Phaneuf’s top 10 hits, it’s a who’s who list of names. By who’s who, I mean literally, I have no idea who any of these guys are. Has Dion Phaneuf ever laid a body check on an All Star? Watch below Dion Phaneuf launch his body like a missile at fringe NHLers Andrew Ebbett, Matt Beleskey, Dana Tyrell, Stephane Da Costa among others.
NHL.com: The NHL asks you to vote one of five potential goals of the year, while no Jet is featured as a scorer in the top goal of the year, luckily none of them feature the Jets getting scored on in spectacular fashion. I saw the Paul Gaustad behind the back, spin-o-rama pass against the Jets on plays of the week, does not feel good watching plays like that as a Jets fan.
AP: If you’ve watched Dragons Den, you’ve probably heard of Brett Wilson, he’s the one who’s the most willing to throw his money away. He’s taken the plunge and purchased five percent of the company that manages the Nashville Predators and their arena. No word on what the cost of his investment was, but Wilson is the chairman of Canoe Financial which owns more than $2 Billion (!!!!!!!) in assets. Safe to say that it didn’t take too big a chunk out of his wallet. Also explains why he’s always so willing to invest on Dragons Den.
Icethetics: The Orlando Solar Bears are making a return to professional hockey. Manitoba Moose fans may remember them from the old International Hockey League (IHL) from 1995-2001. This reincarnation of the team will play in the ECHL, no word yet on their AHL and NHL affiliations.
Tweet of the Day: TSN 1290’s own Shane Hnidy is coming out of retirement…well not really. He’ll be playing his first game at one of Winnipeg’s local rinks tonight. Hopefully his legs are fresh after not having played for five months. Illegal Curve will be at Hnidy’s game and we’ll be the first to get his post skate comments. With the way the Jets defenseman have been hitting the IR, Hnidy may need to get in game shape sooner than we think. (Or that’s what the callers to the TSN 1290 post game show will tell you)
Outside the NHL – this is the part of the post where I get to have some fun and post some non-NHL related news.
The AV Club: Geniuses Trey Parker & Matt Stone have renewed South Park for three more seasons. This will take it into 20, sorry let me repeat that, TWENTY seasons of South Park. Who would have thought that a show where the pilot was called “Cartman Gets an Anal Probe” would last for at least TWENTY seasons. I’ll give these guys credit, the show now is not nearly the same show as it was when it began. It has evolved through the years and fans look forward to their unique brand of social commentary each week on Comedy Central. It is still a shame that we don’t get the episodes premiering here in Canada at the same time they do in the good ol’ U S and A.
New York Times: If you watched Bob Costas’ riveting interview with Jerry Sandusky the other day (not sure how you could have missed it), Bill Carter has a great behind the scenes article on how the interview came about. Carter is also the author of the book “The War For Late Night” which tells the tale of the NBC, Conan O’Brien, Jay Leno love triangle. I haven’t read it myself, but it is on my Amazon wishlist.
Consumerist: One of my favourite websites lists their “Top 5 Things Not to Buy This Holiday Season“. Great for those who are starting to to their holiday shopping. One of the more obvious items on the list…Calendars. Everyone knows you wait until AFTER the new year where you can pick from the scraps at half price. My personal favourites are those page-a-day calendars that have a fun fact or trivia question. Those are fun for the first few weeks of the year until you forget to start ripping off the pages. If I need to know what date it is, I’ll check my Blackberry, thanks.
Winnipeg Sun: Looks like there was a hefty drug bust in Portage La Prairie, MB. It seems like there is one of these each week.
Well that’s it for today’s “Around the NHL” and other news. Love it? Hate it? Post any feedback in the comments, or tweet me @mremis
From The Desk of M. Remis 