Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:00 am EST

VH1's "Sober House" is a sequel of sorts to "Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew," which was train-wreck television at its finest. "Sober House" features a gaggle of former stars recovering from various forms of addiction, including the incomparable Andy Dick, former Guns 'N Roses drummer Steven Adler, former "American Idol" contestant Nikki McKibbin (who, for the record, was smokin' back in the day) and model/actress Amber Smith (who, for the record, is smokin' today).
On last week's episode, Smith's battle with sobriety was challenged when she was invited to a party by a friend: hockey enforcer Kip Brennan (above left), formerly of the Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders and now playing for the AHL's Hershey Bears. Smith decided to go to the shindig -- which she said reminded her of "Animal House" - but was promptly abandoned by Brennan. She then moped around, complaining about being alone ... before finding some liquid companionship via an extravagant vodka ice luge.
Our heroine (not to be confused with Steven Adler's heroin) was in a full-on addiction relapse when none other than Joffrey Lupul of the Philadelphia Flyers (above right, according to several viewers) appeared on screen to pick up the pieces. Lupul scored his 16th goal of the season in Sunday's win over the Atlanta Thrashers.
Through the miracle of reality television editing, Lupul appears to be simultaneously horsing around with, hitting on and enabling Smith as she staggers through the night. It was an odd sight, to be sure; and by that we mean seeing a Flyers player partying with someone outside of a Temple University frat.
Lupul's moments with Smith were fleeting, as she found Kip again later that night. Said Smith: "I remember saying, 'Do you like the dress I bought?' and he said, 'Yeah, it's going to look great on my floor.' And I don't remember much after that." Stay classy, sir.
You can watch the full clip of Smith's party adventure on VH1.com. The folks over at Philly Sports Forums and the official VH1 boards are having their say about the hockey-related appearances. Puck Daddy reader John M., who tipped us to the story, isn't exactly pleased to see Lupul make the cut on "Sober House":
While this isn't a Michael Phelps-esque level of douchery ... it solidifies one thing that many fans, including myself have been on the fence about: Lupul's work ethic. Which I have heard was one of the main complaints about the talented but underachieving winger.
Eh, maybe. We're too busy trying to figure out the next strange intersection between hockey and VH1 "celeb-reality," after this "Sober House" thing and that hockey-instigated exploding implant incident on "Rock of Love Bus." If all of this leads to Flavor Flav dropping the gloves with Brooke Hogan, count us in.
Puck Daddy is an NHL blog edited by Greg Wyshynski. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

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36 Comments
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Althought I find this comment to be absolute genius, I must warn you that there's a better than good chance it can't make the comment awards for reasons beyond my control.
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God I hate Yahoo.
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Uhhhh, isn't the guy she ended up with a "never had any talent" level player. Lets line up the stats of these two guys...
Lupul -93 goals and 100 assists...Brennen- 1 goal and 1 assist. Not really in the same league in life.
We are talking about a loser alcoholic tramp who is looking for a loser boy to screw, and it seemed Lupul was too good for her, not the other way around...Kipper, good luck and check into the free clinic, I hear it's free too.
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I've been sticking up for Lupul all year. The only reason that I can see not liking him, work ethic aside, is that when he doesn't score or set up goals, he's invisible. Hartnell makes his presence known even if he doesn't score... although it's usually because he does something stupid.
I really like the direction the Flyers are headed in overall, but they've got some work to do with these two.
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I don't care if you drink or drug, and I don't care that hockey players do either. But VH1 is treating recovery like a sideshow / soap opera. They are setting people up to fail. And the participants themselves are all too willing; unless they have unbelievable willpower, they are doomed to relapse. I don't know which is worse.
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Sunday Chiefs game and I forget to set my DVR. GAHHHHHHHHH.
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Use some creative editing and make sure the "legion of poon" line makes the user awards. The whole "sloppy" thing was able to make its way into almost every blog this year, and I think we all know what that means. (Except for a certain someones daughter.) Make it work...
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