The Hockey Hall of Fame Induction ceremony went off swimmingly, except for the time maybe when Mats Sundin pronounced Elmer Lach’s name “Latch,” and Patrick Roy took a swipe at the Canadiens, saying they decided to trade him, which only sort of happened after Roy told Ronald Corey he’d never play another game with the [...]

Congratulations to Joe Sakic, Mats Sundin, Pavel Bure, and Adam Oates for their induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, the shrine in Toronto that houses photos, plaques, artifacts, and memories of players who once played  the sport that has become extinct and remembered by oldtimers who think back to a time, like last year, [...]

  I watched the Hall of Fame announcements the other day, and I’m only just now waking up from the coma. Bill Hay, Jim Gregory, and Pat Quinn gave us the four new names (Adam Oates, Joe Sakic, Pavel Bure, and Mats Sundin), like they were giving a eulogy at a funeral. It was like everyone was [...]

A fellow at work brought in a book for me to read called “Shooting From The Lip” (2004), which is a compilation of hockey quotes. Here’s a few of them….. My brother Dash hit me on the head with five textbooks in a gym bag. Tie Domi, asked about the hardest hit he’s ever received [...]

The following is a fascinating interview with Don Cherry in May of 2008 from the Russian magazine “Sport Express”.   Don talks about his favourite Russian player of all time, and about others including Alex Ovechkin, whom the Habs encounter on Friday night. This article has been translated into English. Don Cherry Loves Ovechkin 27 May 2008 [...]

At least four major athletes have carried the handle of “Rocket” during their careers.  I wonder who the real holder of this title is? Hmm. Raghib ‘Rocket’ Ismail? He was a star football player in college, the Canadian Football League and the NFL, made millions, and promptly went broke after losing his fortune with bad investments in restaurants, movies and [...]

If there’s any lingering doubt that Bob Gainey and company have been hard at work the last few years trying to find solutions to the mess they’ve found themselves in, you don’t have to look any further than this photo of the 2007-2008 Montreal Canadiens – just two seasons ago. The photo shows 24 players [...]

Vladislav Tretiak, the great Russian goalie who gave fits to Team Canada in 1972 and the Montreal Canadiens on New Year’s Eve, 1975, is a proud Russian, and as President of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, desparately wants his country to be a real hockey country.  In fact, he’s predicting the new Russian league, the [...]

It’ll be interesting to see how things play out in the next few years regarding the new Russian Continental Hockey League. They’ve now wooed a trickle of players there, Alexander Radulov being the latest, before that, Jaromir Jagr and others, and they welcome with open arms those who’ve basically worn out their welcome in the NHL [...]

Am I ever all glad I’m not a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. All the anticipation, all the confidence, and all the high expectations for Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa, and Evgeny Malkin. Now, after two games, the Detroit Red Wings have won both games, both in shutouts, outscoring Pittsburgh 7-0 in the process. How much more dismal can it get [...]