Hey, did you hear that the NHL lockout ended? It totally did! In fact, after four months of hearing about how far apart the two teams were, on Saturday night the deal actually came together kind of quickly.
Almost… too quickly.
Call me crazy, but doesn’t it seem like something must have been going on in the background during all of this that lead to the sudden ending. In fact, I can almost picture it now…
Follow @blogesalming or Dave Nonis will take your job.
Full lyrics after the jump.
Hey, remember that NHLPA video from a few weeks ago? You know the one: various star players looking into the camera, earnestly describing their love for the game and their frustration over the ongoing lockout? Let's be honest -- it was pretty darn effective.
Of course, not every player who auditioned made the cut. And a few of them took more than one take to get their message just right. The NHLPA kept the good stuff for the final product, and tossed the rest in the trash.
Luckily, Bloge and I happened to be hiding out nearby and were able to grab the out-take reel.
>> More Bloge Salming goodness
>> Follow Bloge Salming on Twitter
Lemieux: Was deceptively fast going from center ice to the goal, often arriving before the opponent's defence was ready for him.
Roy: Was deceptively fast going from the goal to center ice, often arriving before the Avalanche's goaltender was ready for him.
From An in-depth comparison: Mario Lemieux vs. Patrick Roy, one of 24 chapters of brand new material available exclusively in The Best of Down Goes Brown.
Buy today: Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | Nook | Chapters/Indigo | Kobo | iBooks
Hey, did you hear about that new NHL video game that’s just been released?
No, not that one. Please. Hockey teams actually playing hockey? That’s so 2011.
This new game is a little bit more… realistic. And unlike that other one that puts all the focus on the players, this hot new release knows who the fans really want to see.
I can't wait for the sequel to come out in a few years. And a few years after that. And a few years after that...
Lyrics after the jump.
Have you seen the NHL's new ad campaign? Building off last year's popular series of "History Will Be Made" ads, the league has introduced this year's version: "Because it's the Cup".
They're doing one for each team. Here's the Red Wings version:
After weeks of near-unanimous praise, the hockey world seems to have turned on Brendan Shanahan. He's been criticized by various media, anonymous GMs and Don Cherry, and many fans are starting to wonder whether he's really an improvement over Colin Campbell.
To his credit, Shanahan doesn't seem to be letting the negativity get to him. From all accounts, he's shrugged off the criticism as an unpleasant but inevitable part of the job. And he's standing by his rulings, pointing out more than once that they're consistent with the introductory video he sent to all NHL players before the season began.
But while we've all heard about this infamous video, nobody outside the league had seen it... until now. DGB spies were able to get their hands on a copy, and let's just say it's not quite what we were expecting.
New NHL discipline boss Brendan Shanahan has been making headlines all week, handing out several lengthy suspensions to players such as Jody Shelley and James Wisniewski. Most observers are heralding the decisions, and the video explanations that go with them, as a sign of a bold new way of doing things.
But while Shanahan certainly deserves credit for coming down hard on offenders, I'm a little perplexed by all the excitement over his videos. After all, he's just borrowed the idea from his predecessor, Colin Campbell, who had his own series of videos explaining his decisions.
For example, who could forget this video explaining his decision in the Matt Cooke/Marc Savard game?
Free agency is just days away, and there's little question about who the big name is. Brad Richards of the Dallas Stars is easily the best player available, and is expected to receive substantial offers from several big market teams. Where will he end up signing? It's all a mystery.
Or maybe not. Fans that have paid attention to recent free agent patterns may already have a sense of how all this will turn out.
In fact, Bloge Salming and I can picture it now...
Bloge Salming and I made this for you. May god have mercy on our souls.
You may have heard that Evgeni Nabokov isn't very happy. He recently went from signing a contract with the contending Detroit Red Wings to being claimed on waivers by the last place Islanders. So far he's refused to support, but he may be running out of options if he wants to continue his career next season.
So what's a goalie to do? If you're Nabokov, you arrange for a top secret hearing with commissioner Gary Bettman to plead his case. Luckily for us, DGB hidden cameras were there to record the conversation. I have to honest... I feel like it probably could have gone better for Evgeni.
It's not easy to be a young defenceman in today's NHL. With round-the-clock coverage on TV and online, it seems as if even the smallest gaffe is magnified and then broken down endlessly. The pressure is constantly on, and mistakes just aren't tolerated. What's a young defenceman to do?
Luckily, there are dependable veterans like Chris Phillips and friends who are willing to serve as mentors to the next generation.
The NHL saw a welcome new trend last month, when several teams sent actual players out to hand deliver season tickets to fans. The Bruins sent Nathan Horton and Milan Lucic out to surprise some loyal fans, and the Penguins had half their roster knocking on doors in the Pittsburgh area.
Not as well publicized was the fact that the Toronto Maple Leafs have a similar program. They sent Luke Schenn and Tomas Kaberle door-to-door to deliver tickets to Maple Leafs season ticket holders who bought seats in the ACC's lower section.
But for some reason they never got around to releasing the video. Until now...
I've become a fan of Dustin Byfuglien. Nice kid, power forward, and has had plenty of success this post-season.
The only issue I have is the name. It's pronounced "Bufflin", which I never understood. I mean, um, those sounds don't seem to match the letters.
Well, thanks to Bloge Salming, a hidden camera, and a time machine... now it all makes sense.
After several false starts, rewrites, and accusations of being cursed, the Habs eulogy is live at Puck Daddy. You can head over and read it there now.
Included in the post is the latest Bloge Salming masterpiece, "Felt Like '93". You can watch it below, along with the full lyrics. (But go watch the original first if you've never seen it.)
Gary Bettman has been making the media rounds recently, including his annual awkward mess of an interview on Hockey Night in Canada. His PR tour continued recently with an stop at your local sports radio station, where he was asked the question on all our minds: What exactly does he do all day?
I have to admit, I have a little more respect for him after hearing his answer.
 |
 |  |
The Athletic Hockey Show runs four days a week during the season, and will feature me with Other Sean Gentille on Wednesdays.
Puck Soup is a podcast featuring me and Ryan Lambert. We release one free episode each week during the season, plus mailbags and other bonus episodes for Patreon subscribers.
"Biscuits" was the Vice Sports hockey podcast, hosted by DGB and Dave Lozo. It ran for two seasons; the final episode was in July, 2018. You can find the archives below:
As of the 2018-19 season, my work will appear exclusively at The Athletic.
Don't have a subscription? You can sign up today by clicking the offer link at the bottom of my posts, or read for free with a one-week trial.
My archives from other sites can be found here:
