Puck Daddy - NHL

Puck Daddy

Tue Dec 30, 2008 6:49 pm EST

Puck Headlines: Will an octopus hit the Wrigley Field rink?

By Greg Wyshynski

Here are your Evening Puck Headlines and Previews: A glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• A Portland, Maine man faces charges of drunk driving, aggravated criminal mischief and burglary after he may have crashed a forklift inside a civic center and was found drunk atop an idling Zamboni. We may have ourselves a love connection, Mr. Woolery. [Maine News, via Deadspin]

• After reading this Time Out Chicago article on the Chicago Blackhawks/Detroit Red Wings rivalry heading into the Winter Classic, including the tradition of hurling octopi on the ice, the tireless George James Malik asks a valid question: "Can anyone possibly throw/slingshot/air gun an octopus onto the ice rink to begin with?" [Snapshots]

Preview: Chicago Blackhawks at Detroit Red Wings (7 p.m. EST; TV: CSNC, FSD). Nicklas Lidstrom is out for the Wings. Mike Babcock's line about the Red Wings families vs. the Blackhawks families at Wrigley is pretty damn funny.

Preview: Montreal Canadiens at Tampa Bay Lightning (7:30 p.m. EST; TV: RDS, SUN). The Bolts signed Team Canada goalie Dustin Tokarski to a three-year entry level contract today. Don't be confused when you see Marty St. Louis tonight: He's wearing a full-face cage after getting hit with a puck in practice. It's not a muzzle for saying the team is a bunch of selfish clock-killers. 

• Press box fixture Petr Prucha has earned himself another game for the New York Rangers. [Blueshirts Blog]

• The Canadian Press is reporting the National Hockey League is looking at holding its annual awards show in Las Vegas. In other news, Puck Daddy will be providing exclusive, week-long coverage of the 2009 NHL Awards. [Sportsnet]

Preview: Washington Capitals at Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m. EST; TV: CSN, MSG). Does the HSBC Arena have some sort of weird anti-Caps voodoo? Bruce Boudreau hopes not. Paul Gaustad and Nathan Gerbe are ready for the Sabres. Patrick Kaleta? Not so much.

Preview: Boston Bruins at Pittsburgh Penguins (7:30 p.m. EST; TV: NESN, FSPI, Yahoo! Sports). From the Elias Sports Bureau: "Sidney Crosby will play in his 250th regular-season NHL game when the Penguins host the Bruins tonight. Crosby needs two points to tie Mike Bossy for the fifth-highest total by a player in his first 250 career games. The top six are Wayne Gretzky (537), Mario Lemieux (423), Peter Stastny (403), Eric Lindros (360), Bossy (345) and Crosby (343 in his first 249 games)."

• Claude Lemieux cleared NHL waivers and will be assigned to the Worcester Sharks. No one put a claim in? Clearly, the market for 43 year olds that haven't played in the NHL for five years isn't what it used to be. [Sharks]

• ESPN's Pierre LeBrun takes a spin on the Wrigley Field ice: "The sun, however, could prove to be an issue. You really blinked when you made the turn at the third-base end and the sun blinded you somewhat. Some players wore eye black last season in Buffalo, and we suspect much of the same again Thursday. Tinted visors, perhaps?" [ESPN]

Preview: Atlanta Thrashers at Toronto Maple Leafs (7:30 p.m. EST; TV: TSN). Curtis Joseph begins his swan song two-game stint between the pipes for the Leafs.

Preview: New Jersey Devils at St. Louis Blues (8 p.m. EST; TV: VS). Seriously, Versus?

• Interesting look at how the coaches and players reacted to the ECHL's Fresno Falcons folding mid-season. [THN]

• The Dallas Stars put Fabian Brunnstrom and Joel Lundqvist on IR, but their time there could be rather short. [Dallas Stars Blog]

Preview: Philadelphia Flyers at Vancouver Canucks (10 p.m. EST; TV: CSP, CPPV, Yahoo! Sports). In his first public appearances as a Canuck, Mats Sundin makes an incredibly emphatic declaration of his faith in his new teammates: "I feel the Canucks have a good enough team to be strong in the playoffs."

Preview: Ottawa Senators at Edmonton Oilers (10 p.m. EST; TV: RSN, RSW). Don Brennan doesn't exactly have confidence in the Senators goalie not named Alex Auld: "Gerber is supposed to start in Edmonton tonight, and when I heard that I lost any sense that the Senators might snap out of their 12-game road losing streak."

• Finally, to get you in the New Year's spirit, here's how the Carolina Hurricanes ushered in 2008 ... with a giant lighted puck dangled over the ice in a rather empty arena. Get the noisemakers. And the vodka.

Related: Hockey Fans, Puck Videos, Rumors, scuttlebutt, innuendo, Crosby vs. Ovechkin vs. Malkin

digg delicious
more

51 Comments

Post a Comment
  1. J-D
    1. Posted by J-D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    SCENE: Yahoo! Sports Editors' office.
    EDITOR: Mr. Wyshynski, why did it take you four weeks to file a blog about the NHL awards ceremony? Two of the award winners already play for different teams.
    WYSH: (vomits all over desk)
    EDITOR: Um, are you OK?
    WYSH: There was an awards ceremony?
  2. The Great One
    2. Posted by The Great One Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    The octopus articles are as prevalent as the Burke and Sundin articles...and as interesting as Bob Barker's nutsack.
  3. firewing
    3. Posted by firewing Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:01 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    man i hope somebody does throw an octopi, after all this is a special occasion. besides that stupid rule should be taken off the books. just more of bettmans true bias against the wings showing. you can bet if they threw dead penguins on the ice and crosby liked it it would be a law that teams have to throw penguins on the ice. hows that for the days thought. well heres to hoping for a big wings win tonight.
    LONG LIVE THE WINGS
  4. The Great One
    4. Posted by The Great One Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:19 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    @ Firewing:
    Do you recall the rats in Florida? Stupidity to the N-th degree, right? The rest of the world feels the same about your stuipd sea creatures.
    The only time something should be thrown on the ice is after a hat trick. As they showed in Boston, this can be hats or bras.
  5. Sobu
    5. Posted by Sobu Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:31 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I hope they don't throw the octopus too hard; they might break a couple of the Wings players' hips.
  6. stoneyboloney
    6. Posted by stoneyboloney Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    id rather see a dead star thrown on the ice.....how about charlton heston?
  7. Mike
    7. Posted by Mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:34 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    The octopus throwing would be sweeeeeeet!
    As a side note...The Hurricanes suck
    Time to move the Whalers again
  8. puck it dano
    8. Posted by puck it dano Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:00 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    NHL in LAS? PLEASE don't trash it like the NBA all-stars did a couple of years ago...
  9. CUP#12
    9. Posted by CUP#12 Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:40 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    im gonna try my best but im no fukn john elway! my advantage is siitn in the "youth seat" lmaoo yah i'm their cooach yeah thats right! either way gooo wings!
    WINGS TIL DEATH!
  10. big audio
    10. Posted by big audio Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    with Wysh in Vegas (read: Reno and the Bunny Ranch) we can only hope it is true that what happens in Vegas STAYS in vegas.
  11. A Yahoo! User
    11. Posted by A Yahoo! User Tue Dec 30, 2008 8:23 pm EST

    Report Abuse

    Marty St Louis is not wearing a cage tonight in the game vs. Montreal. He's too tough, but he does look like he has collagen injections in his lips.
  12. Kingpin
    12. Posted by Kingpin Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Obama will be in attendance, so any RedWing Fan thinks on being cute they'll be dispatched by a Secret Service Sniper Round to the Head. Which would be poetic to say the least.
  13. Spike
    13. Posted by Spike Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:14 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    I'll go to Vegas, buy Wysh and drink and while I am at it, buy him a Cigar too.
  14. Dan the Obliviousman
    14. Posted by Dan the Obliviousman Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    "George James Malik asks a valid question: "Can anyone possibly throw/slingshot/air gun an octopus onto the ice rink to begin with?"
    Sure can.A taped up bra can make a great slingshot,but usually you try to find someone with a strong arm who is willing to try anything(a high school quarterback is the perfect person for this),and you talk him into taking it down to the lower level and waiting for the proper time to hurl it out there.A goal being scored is the best time,because everybody is standing up,and the thrower could be down a little bit and throw it over everybody. :)
    I thing the better question to ask is how do you get this thing in the arena in the first place?
  15. Bubbabanjo
    15. Posted by Bubbabanjo Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:05 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Can I hear more on Bob's sack????
    Wyshynski you stink!
  16. Bubbabanjo
    16. Posted by Bubbabanjo Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:05 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    And if you can arrange Heston in the Ben Hur outfit to be tossed on the ice that would be totally cool! Way more than another cliche octopie...pusses....poot....oh whatever. Get a new gimmick. That one is beyond tired.
    Wyshynski you stink!
  17. dfg
    17. Posted by dfg Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    The Snapshots piece links further to a Gaper's Block bit about the Winter Classic and takes note of the possibility of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" being sung during a faux seventh inning stretch. I say, having it in the commercials was enough. This is a hockey game for Fukudome's sake.
  18. Dan the Obliviousman
    18. Posted by Dan the Obliviousman Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    OOPS!...Spelling error in the last post...sorry...but I'm watching the hockey game. :)
  19. A Yahoo! User
    19. Posted by A Yahoo! User Tue Dec 30, 2008 8:58 pm EST

    Report Abuse

    @Dan the Obliviousman: If someone buys me a ticket to the Winter Classic I'll tape it to mine. Of course living in Florida, I would have to have roundtrip airfare, a new winter wardrobe, warm boots, etc. Is it worth it? Wysh can foot the bill. I bet he's loaded, I mean with money! Nah! It's too late now. You should have come up with this idea two weeks ago. We would have made headlines!
  20. dfg
    20. Posted by dfg Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    @14
    TOC notes that you pre-cook the octopus to cut down on the stink, and tape it to your stomach to mimic a beer belly.
  21. dfg
    21. Posted by dfg Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Er, you put the cooked mollusk into a plastic baf, and tape THAT to your gut.
  22. dfg
    22. Posted by dfg Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    Oh, for f's sake. Bag, not baf.
  23. Dan the Obliviousman
    23. Posted by Dan the Obliviousman Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:43 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    @ dfg:
    I have to agree with your post.That song deserves to be in nothing but baseball.They should leave it at that.
    I have an idea!...Why not a teddy bear toss during this time?...All the teddy bears could go to Iran and Afghanistan and be given to the children there.It would be fun and help some poor child that might be suffering in one of these countries. :)
    It sure beats tossing a slimy creature from the deep.
  24. stoneyboloney
    24. Posted by stoneyboloney Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:48 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    just let wysh's girlfriend sneak the slimy bugger in......that way the smell will be justified! GO BLUES!
  25. HockeeJunkee
    25. Posted by HockeeJunkee Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:28 pm EDT

    Report Abuse

    one would need a catapult to get the octopi onto the ice, don'tcha think?
    (wink)
    GO WINGS!!!

Puck Daddy

Add to My Yahoo! RSS

Greg Wyshynski

Puck Daddy is an NHL blog edited by Greg Wyshynski. Email him, and follow him on Twitter.

Contributors:
Sean Leahy, Ross McKeon, Matt Romig, Dmitry Chesnokov, Ryan Lambert, Dobber, Scott Pianowski,

Teams

Customize to follow news and rumors on your favorite teams. [ Sign in ]

Related Photo Gallery

More NHL Photos »

Y! Sports Blogs

Puck Daddy Recent Readers

(provided by MyBlogLog)

Watch Live Hockey Online with GameCenter Live™