I wish I could hype this game up like the inter-state rivalry it should be and has been in the past. Unfortunately, the Islanders… well, aren’t very good, to be polite, and the Rangers have struggled as of late, so it’s anybody’s guess how this game will turn out. The Islanders saw the grand return of Rick DiPietro for ONE WHOLE GAME this weekend, before he hurt his groin and will now likely miss more time. His status for tonight is unknown. The Isles DID manage to score 3 points this weekend after a rough December, so they’ll look to keep picking up wins tonight. The Rangers’ last two games have been forgettable — a 5-4 loss to the Capitals that featured the Caps coming back from a 4-0 to push the game to overtime before clinching the victory, and a 4-2 loss to the Devils (*insert gloating here*) in which the team played “brain-dead hockey”. Tom Renney’s words, not mine. Petr Prucha will be in the line-up tonight for Aaron Voros, who as far as I can tell hasn’t actually played over the past few weeks anyway.

Check back for the opening faceoff!

7:03 PM: And it’s official, we’ll see Joey MacDonald again tonight. Memo to the Isles: Sit DiPietro for the rest of the season. Just let the man heal. You have too many years invested in the man for him to keep breaking like this.

7:11 PM: Doc Emerick isn’t calling the game even though it is on Versus.  I am sad.

7:13 PM: The Garden is loud.  Like, REALLY loud.  Couple of big stops by Lundqvist on Gervais and Guerin.

7:15 PM: The Islanders injury report is lengthy and reminds me of the Devils a few weeks ago.  Several players with broken feet.  I’d like very much to make a joke about that but I’ve got nothing.

7:18 PM: Mitch Fritz and Colton Orr with a great battle.  Mitch Fritz is huge and clearly has the size advantage, yet somehow Colton Orr draws blood and tackles him.  I’m feeling pretty bad about myself if I’m Fritz right now.

7:22 PM: Nigel Dawes and Mike Comrie?! That’s…different. For two guys that don’t fight often, they’re getting some good shots in.  I’d give the edge to Comrie.  The fight was a reaction to a hit on Kyle Okposo who appears to be in pain on the Islander bench.

7:24 PM: LOOK OUT, IT’S THE RED HOT RANGER POWER PLAY.   ….I’m an asshole.  Anyway, Jeff Tambelli takes a tripping penalty, Rangers with the man advantage.

7:26 PM: Fun fact: The Islanders have scored 3 shorthanded goals against the Rangers this year.  2 in the third period of one game!  Okposo back on the ice for the Islanders, good to see he’s ok.

7:27 PM: Back at full strength.  Not much going on for the Rangers on the power play.

7:31 PM: I really, REALLY, hate when they interview players and coaches mid-period on the bench.  LET THEM PLAY.

7:34 PM: Horrible turnover by the Rangers as Dmitri Kalinin collides with one of his own men and gives up the puck to Trent Hunter who finds Mike Sillinger all alone in front, ready to slam it home over Lundqvist’s shoulder. 1-0 Islanders.

7:40 PM: Kalinin’s getting some strong boos from the MSG crowd.  I almost feel bad.  Almost.

7:42 PM: Paul Mara takes a questionable goaltender interference call.  Islanders on the power play for the remainder of the period, with the potential for carry over time if they don’t convert in the last 50 seconds here.

7:43 PM: Joey MacDonald with a big stop on Chris Drury with 7 seconds left.  That’ll do it for the first period. Islanders will have about a minute of power play time left at the start of the second.

8:03 PM: Second period underway, and the Rangers have killed off the remainder of the Paul Mara penalty.

8:04 PM: Islanders turnover creates a great chance for Markus Naslund but Joey MacDonald comes up with the big save.

8:05 PM: Rangers going on the power play on a Tim Jackman high sticking call.

8:07 PM: Rangers with a little bit of offensive pressure in the early part of the power play, but MacDonald with the crucial stops again. Islanders kill of the remainder of the penalty without too much excitement.

8:13 PM: MacDonald has been clutch for the Isles in the second.  Huge stop on a deflection attempt by Petr Prucha in front.

8:14 PM: After an eternity of 6-on-5 play due to a delayed penalty call on Trent Hunter (and one hell of a shot off the post by Marc Staal), Scott Gomez puts one away after a great pass from Nik Zherdev.  I really hate saying nice things about the Rangers.  1-1.

8:18 PM: Paul Mara heading back to the box for tripping.  Isles back on the power play, a chance for the Fishsticks to settle things down and gain back some momentum after being outplayed badly for most of this period.

8:20 PM: Not the opportunity the Isles were hoping for, generating very little pressure on the power play.  Paul Mara is out of the box.

8:23 PM: STOP INTERVIEWING PEOPLE ON THE BENCH.  *fumes*

8:24 PM: Rangers outshooting the Isles 23-9, and the Isles take another penalty.  Chris Campoli goes off for hooking.

8:27 PM: Penalty killed with a little help from Joey MacDonald, who has been brilliant in this period.  This game could have easily gotten out of hand by now.

8:32 PM: Isles have picked it up a little bit in the last few minutes but its still all Rangers.  The Isles have to be looking to get out of the second period without any further damage at this point.

8:35 PM: Looks like I spoke too soon.  Islanders with a late flurry and a Freddy Meyer slapshot from the point is directed in by Kyle Okposo with 12 seconds left in the period. 2-1 Islanders despite the Ranger domination in the second.

8:55 PM: Third period underway and Ryan Callahan just laid out Trent Hunter, checking him into the opening bench door.  He’s flat on his back looking rather dazed.

8:57 PM: Trainers brought a stretcher out but Hunter skated off on his own, a good sign.  Scary stuff, here’s hoping Trent is ok.

8:59 PM: Rangers drive the net hard on the ensuing play and Petr Prucha jams one home, doing his best to earn his spot in the lineup.  2-2.

9:01 PM: Michal Rozsival with a slapper that changes directions on Joey MacDonald and beats him five hole.  3-2 Rangers.

9:02 PM: I CAN’T BLOG THIS FAST. Blake Como slams one home after Lundqvist leaves a big rebound in the slot. 3-3.

9:04 PM: Bruno Gervais takes down Korpikoski and gets called for holding.  Rangers go on the power play.

9:08 PM: Tonight’s Versus crew obviously has a man-crush on Rick DiPietro.  They’ve made a point of announcing why he’s not playing once every 5 minutes of game time all night.  Oh, and the Rangers power play is over.

9:11 PM: Nasland gets the fluky bounce over MacDonald’s shoulder. 4-3 Rangers. I’ve been trying to empty my dishwasher while I’m watching and blogging and every time I go over there the Rangers score.  The dishes will now wait until the game ends.  I refuse to be part of a Ranger victory.

9:17 PM: Brendan Witt takes some mystery penalty.  I’m going to assume it was interference.  Rangers on the power play again.

9:19 PM: Penalty over.  And thank you for reminding us Rangers fans that Potvin still, in fact, sucks.

9:20 PM: Positive news coming from the Islander locker room about Trent Hunter.  Moving around and talking with the training staff, out for the rest of the night as a precautionary measure.  Good to hear.

9:22 PM: MSG just started a PRU-CHA chant. The fans have made their wishes clear.  Your move, Renney.

9:23 PM: Nigel Dawes battles his way to the front of the net and puts one home to make it 5-3 Rangers. I have an irrational hatred for this kid and am now cranky.

9:24 PM: In case you hadn’t figured it out already, the Islanders are really bad at the third period.  Actually, the Islanders are really bad at a lot of things.  But I digress.

9:28 PM: One minute left.  MacDonald out of the net for the Isles for the extra skater.

9:29 PM: Mike Comrie pokes one home with about 19 seconds left.  5-4 Rangers. Makes things a little bit interesting, anyway.

9:32 PM: Rangers hold on to win it.  Crazy game.  I don’t approve of Rangers victories, but certainly an enjoyable hockey game.

Nothing better than a division rivalry. On a Sunday afternoon 4 days before Christmas.  In crappy New Jersey winter weather.  BUT SERIOUSLY.  The Flyers and Devils have been two of the hottest teams in hockey over the past month or so, with both teams going 7-2-1 in their past 10 games.  The Devils won the last matchup in an intense overtime thriller down at the Wachovia Center (which I was lucky enough to be in attendance for), and you can be certain the Flyers will be looking for some revenge today.  The Devils have two key players missing in Bryce Salvador (upper body injury), and John Madden (he is “ill”, whatever the heck that means).  The team got away without them against a pretty lousy Senators team on Friday, but will miss both players against the firepower of this Flyers team.  Should be a good one!

My boyfriend’s sitting next to me as I’m doing this today (he actually insisted I blog during the game).  I’m sure he’ll have some comments throughout

1:02 PM: In an unfortunate turn of events (read: Center Ice blacked out the Devils coverage), it seems I’m stuck with the Philly coverage of the game today. I miss Doc and Chico already.

1:04 PM: Niittymaki v. Clemmenson in goal this afternoon.  Opening faceoff in a few.

1:08 PM: CSN Philly thought it was a good idea to put GIANT FACES on screen to introduce the lineups for each team. I didn’t really want to see the first 2 minutes of the game.  Jake: I hope those faces never come back.

1:12 PM: Josh Gratton and Mike Rupp go at it in front of Clemmenson.  Gratton’s probably a good six inches shorter than Rupp, but manages to get Rupp so tangled up that Rupp never gets a good shot in and falls over.  I’d call it even.  Jake agrees.

1:16 PM: Devils to go up a man as Kimmo Timonen hook.  Timonen is not pleased.  Good chance for the Devils to get some offensive pressure going.

1:18 PM: The Flyers announcers have an unhealthy obsession with Brian Gionta being “diminutive”.  They throw the word out there at least 5 times a game.  I still want Doc and Chico back.

1:21 PM: Flyers kill off the penalty without too much trouble.  One great chance for Travis Zajac but he can’t convert on the rebound in front.

1:23 PM: Devils on the power play again, this time on a tripping call on Kimmo Timonen.  Timonen is still not pleased.

1:25 PM: Awful power play for the Devils. We’re back a full strength.

1:29 PM: I really, really don’t like Sheldon Brookbank.  Just throwing that out there.

1:32 PM: Neither team look particularly spectacular right now.  Pretty even game thus far.  Also, the amount of points the Flyers have tallied shorthanded is intimidating (13 goals).

1:35 PM: Hooking penalty on the Flyers’ Darrel POWE.  That’s the best hockey name EVER.

1:39 PM: Penalty killed again.  Couple of good chances by the Devils this time around.  Great save by Clemmenson coming the other way right after the penalty expires.

1:42 PM: End of the first period.  Pretty even play so far, looks a lot like the last matchup between these two teams.  I still hate the Flyers announcers with a fiery passion.  Be back for the second.

2:01 PM: Second period underway.  Apparently Riley Cote fought Donald Brashear twice yesterday and got his face rearranged.  He’s got two black eyes, a fat lip, and a couple of stitches over one eye.  Not a good look.

2:09 PM: I’m sitting here munching on a frozen pizza and there’s not much going on.  Bobby Holik flattened Scottie Upshall early in the period, but other than that, nothing doing.  Hartnell just took a penalty though, so the Devils’ power play gets its fourth opportunity of the afternoon.  Asham’s sitting in the box for the penalty for an unknown reason and we just got a fantastic shot of him rocking out in the box.

2:12 PM: Patrik Elias extends his point streak to 10, hammering home a second rebound attempt for a power play goal.  1-0 Devils.

2:14 PM: Brian Rolston puts home a slapshot that Niittymaki never saw, and boy does he look happy.  2-0 Devils, with just a minute and 6 seconds between the goals.

2:22 PM: Sheldon Brookbank can’t even fight right.  He tries to go at it with Braydon Coburn and they just sort of hug for a while, Brookbank throws one punch, and then they hug some more until Coburn pushes him over.  You fail, sir.

2:28 PM: Devils’ take their first penalty of the afternoon, as Andy Greene goes off for high sticking.  Big kill here for the Devils.

2:30 PM: Jeff Carter takes back the league lead in goals with 25, poking one through Scott Clemmenson’s five hole at the start of the power play. 2-1 Devils.

2:33 PM: Some good extended pressure from the Devils following the Flyers’ goal, but they can’t convert thanks to some great defensive play by Randy Jones.  The rest of the second period expires without too much excitement. Check back in for the third period.

2:51 PM: Third period underway. Game had a great pace to it at the end of the second, we’ll see if that keeps up.

2:55 PM: Josh Gratton lays out Johnny Oduya and Mike Rupp and Jay Leach both want to destroy him but back off in favor of the power play opportunity.

2:58 PM: Scott Hartnell gets a breakaway as the power play comes to an end, but Clemmer comes up with the big save.  Another lackluster power play attempt for the Devils.

3:07 PM: Jake points out that Riley Cote just took a run at Bobby Holik.  He’s not a wise man, or at least doesn’t value his face.

3:16 PM: Colin White just destroyed someone in the corner.  I enjoy watching him hit everything that moves. In case you hadn’t noticed, there’s not much else going on.

3:18 PM: I should have kept my mouth shut.  Joffrey Lupul makes it 2-2.

3:26 PM: Couple of strong saves by Niittymaki since the Flyers’ goal.  About a minute left in regulation.

3:29 PM: And we’re headed to overtime!

3:32 PM: Bodies are flying everywhere.  I have no idea what’s going on out there.

3:34 PM: Clemmenson with the HUGE save on Jeff Carter.  Just under 2 minutes left in the overtime.

3:37 PM: 12 seconds left and the Flyers have an offensive zone faceoff.  Flyers call a timeout.  I imagine his point starts with WIN A FACEOFF ASSHOLES, as the Devils have won 2/3rds of the draws in the game.

3:38 PM: No dice.  To the shootout we go.

SHOOTOUT

Simon Gagne – save

Zach Parise – HIT THE DAMN CROSSBAR

Mike Richards – goal

Patrik Elias – save

Jeff Carter – save

Jamie Langenbrunner – goal

Kimmo Timonen – save

Brian Gionta – save

Joffrey Lupul – save

Travis Zajac – goal

And the Devils win the game 3-2 in the shootout on Travis Zajac’s first shootout attempt of the year.  Great game.

So, ideally, I would be sitting down right now getting ready to live blog the Detroit/San Jose game, but the NHL marketing department didn’t have the foresight to put that game on national TV, and I am not fortunate enough to have a Center Ice package.  Tonight is one of those sad evenings in the tri-state area that none of the New York area teams are playing (I don’t get Philly coverage) and Versus doesn’t have a game on, and so I am hockey-less.

Your sympathy is appreciated.

I’ve been slacking a bit here recently — first work sucked then I realized that whole Christmas thing was happening and I couldn’t postpone it just by pretending it wasn’t, so I went into “panicked shopping mode” — suprisingly effective for once in my life — and then I slept.  A lot.  I don’t do enough of that, really.  But in theory I can now dedicate a proper portion of my life to hockey-related things.  And really, what fun is life if I can’t?

Moving on.

I’d be lying if I said I could give any sort of proper recap of goings on in the NHL recently – I’ve fallen a bit behind.  So instead of a recap this week, I’m going to give you my “end of 2008″ power rankings.  In parenthesis after each I’ve put my preseason rankings.  Should be good for a laugh.

1. San Jose Sharks (2nd, West) – It went without saying that the Sharks would be good this year.  I don’t think anyone expected the sheer dominance the Sharks have had over most opponents thus far this season.  25-3-3.  53 points.  The numbers speak for themselves – this team is good.

2. Boston Bruins (7th, East) – Tim Thomas and the Bruins gave the NHL a taste of how good they could be in the stretch run last year but couldn’t complete their upset of the Canadiens.  They’ve proven this year that they were for real, with some great additions, key players back from injuries, and Tim Thomas’ spectacular play between the pipes.

3. Detroit Red Wings (1st, West) – Coming into the season Detroit was the odds-on favorite to repeat as champs.  They’ve hit some stumbling blocks early on, giving up more goals than we’re used to seeing from their strong defense, but they’re still only 9 points behind San Jose in the Western Conference.  I’d take that kind of “struggling” any day.

4. Philadelphia Flyers (2nd, East) – Despite going winless in their first 6 games, the Flyers have powered their way to 2nd place in the Atlantic and 4th in the Conference, and haven’t lost in regulation since late November.  Their defense is on the verge of getting healthy, which will make the team even more dangerous.

5. Washington Capitals (3rd, East) – The Caps have been hit hard by injuries, and still find themselves in 3rd place in the Eastern conference (hey, I got one right!).  As Alexander Semin, Sergei Federov, Mike Green, and others battled back from injuries, the Caps contined to win games, backstopped by Brent Johnson, who has outplayed Jose Theodore for much of the season.

6. Pittsburgh Penguins (4th, East) – The Penguins were also hit by the injury bug, as top defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney have yet to play a game, and Marc-Andre Fleury missed a month of action with a groin injury.  The stellar play of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin has continued to carry the team through most of the season.

7. New Jersey Devils (5th, East) – Martin Brodeur’s first long-term injury seemed to spell disaster for the Devils, but the team has found ways to win without the top goalie.  Scott Clemmenson is making the most of his opportunity and the Devils, thanks to the fantastic play of Zach Parise and Patrik Elias, are putting the puck in the net on a consistent basis for the first time in two seasons.

8. Calgary Flames (3rd, West) – Iwillnotmakeasloppysecondsjoke.  Iwillnotmakeasloppysecondsjoke.  Calgary has a tendency to be streaky (much like its starting netminder), but still sits in third place in the conference (I got another one right!).  Any team led by Jerome Iginla is going to do things right.

9. New York Rangers (6th, East) – The Rangers started off the season on quite a tear.  Over the last several weeks, it’s all seemed to come unraveled for them.  They can’t seem to put the puck in the net, they’ve only managed wins in OT and the shootout, their defense has been weak, and they’ve given up a league-high 10 shorthanded goals.  The team was hoping to land Sundin, but lost out to the Canucks today.  The Blueshirts still sit at the top of the conference as of today, but could quickly fall a few spots in the standings with a few losses and some Flyer/Bruin victories.

10. Montreal Canadiens (1st, East) – The popular pick for a Finals matchup this year was Detroit/Montreal.  The Habs started strong but have struggled since November.  Despite being a top vote-getter for the all-star game, Alexei Kovalev has been a non-presence for the Habs, and the team hasn’t been able to recapture the potency of their power play from last season.

11. Chicago Blackhawks (7th, West) – Kane, Toews, Versteeg, Sharp.  There are so many talented kids on this team, it’s unreal.  After a slow start and a coaching change, the ‘Hawks have been living up to the hype surrounding the season, playing their way to 4th place in the conference.  I don’t know about you, but I’m really excited to check these kids out during the Winter Classic.

12. Anaheim Ducks (5th, West) – Anaheim got off to a sluggish start as well, but the Ducks now sit comfortably in 6th in the conference.  This year’s Ducks look remarkably similar to last year’s version, despite the differences in personnel.  They’ll be a contender.

13. Vancouver Canucks (13th, West) – Vancouver has a been a surprise (to me, at least).  Pavol Demitra is enjoying his new-found offensive freedom playing with the Sedin twins and his production has been fantastic. The team suffered a huge blow when it lost Roberto Luongo to a bad groin injury, but Curtis Sanford has managed to keep the team competitive.

14. Buffalo Sabres (10th, East) – Possibily the biggest surprise at the beginning of the season with their quick start out of th gate, the Sabres continue to play solid hockey.  They’ve fallen off a bit and struggled in November, but backed by the terrific play of NHL-leader Thomas Vanek and Ryan Miller, I think the Sabres will make a bid to be back in the playoffs come springtime.

15. Nashville Predators (10th, West) – I think I know why this team is in constant fear of relocation – I never hear ANYTHING about them.  They’re playing decent hockey, and currently sit in playoff position, and Shea Weber is having a Norris-worthy season.  But will anyone outside of Nashville notice?

16. Florida Panthers (13th, West) – The Panthers have been playing some pretty good hockey lately, with backup goaltender Craig Anderson giving Tomas Vokoun a run for his money in the starting spot.  Will the fact that the Panthers are playing competitive(ish) hockey be enough to convince Jay Bouwmeester to stick around?

17. Carolina Hurricanes (8th, East) – The ‘Canes recently fired head coach Peter Laviolette, bringing in former coach Paul Maurice.  The team is just over .500, but for the first time in 2 seasons, relatively healthy. In a division that’s otherwise not very competitive (Capitals excluded), the ‘Canes could squeeze into the bottom seed.

18. Minnesota Wild (8th, West) – After starting the season strongly, the Wild have tapered off over the past few weeks and now sit in the last playoff spot in the West (score!).  Jacques Lemaire’s troops are the same low-scoring, defense-first team they always have been, now with the added perk of Marian Gaborik trade rumors every other day.  Expect the forward to be moved before the deadline.

19. Phoenix Coyotes (12th, West) – The Great One’s team has been the source of several “will they make it financially?” discussions this season, but that doesn’t take away from the young, increasingly successful team he’s building in the desert.  The addition of Olie Jokinen has really sparked their offense.

20. Toronto Maple Leafs (12th, East) – No one expected Toronto to come out and beat the Red Wings the first night of the season.  Everyone expected Brian Burke to take over, and what moves follow will surely be under a microscope.  The team has performed better than expected, but still needs work, mainly between the pipes.

21. Ottawa Senators (9th, East) – Where to begin? This team has no secondary scoring beyond the top line of Heatley-Spezza-Alfredsson.  Their defense is so-so, and despite a remarkable effort from backup goaltender Alex Auld, they really don’t have any consistency to their roster.  I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big trade involving the Sens before the season is out.

22. Colorado Avalanche (9th, West) – The Avs lost Joe Sakic early on, which was obviously a big blow to the team (watch out for those snowblowers).  Peter Budaj has been surprisingly effective in goal, which was the big question coming into the season.  Now the even bigger question — will we have a Peter Forsberg appearance in March again?

23. Columbus Blue Jackets (11th, West) – Beat San Jose last night! Ken Hitchcock’s team are hanging tight around the 8th playoff spot and will certainly make a push for the playoffs – Rick Nash is always a force to be reckoned with – but in such a competitive conference, can they really expect to make it?

24. Los Angeles Kings (14th, West) – Despite having “bad” and “less bad” to choose from in goal, the Kings and their relatively young core of players are scraping along pretty well.  This is a team that had very low expectations and is clearly in a rebuilding year.

25. Edmonton Oilers (6th, West) – The Oil had high hopes for this season, and the kids on the team just haven’t lived up to their expectations.  They’ve had a revolving door of goaltenders (none of which have been spectacular), and just haven’t quite gotten things figured out yet.  They could still make a push for the playoffs if they go on a hot streak.

26. Dallas Stars (4th, West) – Avery, Turco, blah blah, let’s move on.

27. Atlanta Thrashers (15th, East) – The Thrashers are probably used to the basement by now.  They’ve been playing streaky hockey this year, winning and losing over long stretches of time.  A lot of rumors surrounding Kovulchuk, who still has another year on his contract.  The season is pretty much a loss for the Thrash.

28. St. Louis Blues (15th, West) – Are there still guys playing for this team?  Jay McKee, Erik Johnson, Andy McDonald, and Manny Legace are all on the IR right now.  Tough break for the Blues, who could have at least been competitive this year and had a good rebuilding season.  With each new injury the team seems to struggle a little more.

29. New York Islanders (14th, East)- All the credit in the world to Joey McDonald for coming in and playing as well as he has in place of the injured DiPietro, who is rumored to return this week.  New head coach Scott Gordon has gotten a remarkable amount out of this team, but they’ve blown an unbelievable amount of  third period leads, and unless they learn to buckle down in the third the team is going to keep slipping down the standings.

30. Tampa Bay Lightning (11th, East) – What can you even say about the Bolts? Melrose is out (probably a good move) Tocchet is in, but the team still can’t find a way to win.  The defense is terrible, the forwards are nowhere near as good as they should be, and I sure haven’t Seen Stamkos.  Sorry Len and Oren – better luck next year.

Not as bad as I thought it would be!

I’ve been asked my opinion on the suspension of Sean Avery yesterday for his comments about Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf and his girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert (a former fling of Avery’s).   The comment in question:

And I just want to comment on how it’s become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds. I don’t know what that’s about.

The NHL was fairly swift in moving to suspend Avery, ensuring he would not play in last night’s matchup with the Flames.  The media reaction to the suspension today has been all over the map.  I’ll play along.

I have a few issues with this whole incident.  For one thing, this is not an isolated occurence.  Avery has consistently shown he has no idea where to draw the line when it comes to “trash talk”.  It’s one thing to be yapping in an opponent’s ear to get under his skin during a game (see: Brodeur, Martin).  It’s quite another to openly trash a player and his family and loved ones in the media.  Avery did it with Brodeur and his messy divorce, and this is no different.  It has no place in the NHL and is NOT the kind of publicity the league wants to be associated with.

Secondly, and a point I’ve seen ignored in a lot of places – Avery didn’t just happen to find himself in front of a camera after his pregame skate yesterday morning.  He called the media over to set himself up to make these comments. This was absolutely a planned move.  The fact that he went out of his way to antagonize his opponents when the game was still hours away raises him to an all new level of idiocy.

As for the suspension – I think the NHL, for once, handled this absolutely correctly – and I am not one to stand up for Bettman & Co.  After being brought in to handle an incident between Avery and some fans in Boston earlier this year, the league has to have increased the Avery watch.  Sean can only expect to get away with so much.  His comments were inappropriate, demeaning, and probably the last straw for those in the league offices.

Mirtle said it best over at From the Rink:

That is not how you build a brand. It’s a sideshow, plain and simple, and if you rely on the Averys of the NHL to determine where the line is and if they can cross it, we’re heading into ugly territory indeed.

And, at some point, someone might even try to make Avery the league’s latest version of Steve Moore.

I think that, really, goes to the heart of the issue.  Avery is making a living annoying the ever-loving-shit out of people, and eventually, someone is going to snap.  The league stepped in last night to make sure that someone wasn’t Dion Phaneuf or anyone else on the Flames roster, and to send a message to Avery that his brand of publicity wasn’t what the league wanted.

I’ve heard the argument from a lot of people that in taking Avery out of that game, the NHL blew a great marketing opportunity – that more people would have tuned in to the Flames/Stars game anticipating the Phaneuf/Avery showdown.  A lot of the same people have also argued that an “indefinite suspension” for mouthing off while all the serious headshots we’ve seen lately are only getting 3 or 4 games is sending a terrible message.  Stop and think about that.  You want the league to come down harder on headshots – I completely agree.  But then you want them to use Avery being an idiot as a marketing gimmick by letting him go out and potential get creamed?  Doesn’t that seem like a terrible message too?

Avery has a hearing with Bettman on Thursday.  My guess is he’ll only get a 2 or 3 game suspension handed down from the league, particularly in light of the apology he’s issued tonight. The bigger question will be how soon the Dallas Stars welcome him back, as it sounds like both management and the Stars’ locker room are rather frustrated with his antics already.  That 4 year contract isn’t looking like such a great decision anymore.

Should be interesting to see on Thursday, that’s for sure.

…well, I’m a day late, but better late than never, right?

Paul Kukla over at Kukla’s Korner declared yesterday Happy Hockey Talk Day.  He encouraged fans to write only positive things about the game for the day – to put aside the usual bickering about our favorite teams and the state of the league and instead focus on the things that made us fans in the first place.

Reading some of the posts yesterday and today was a lot of fun, so I decided it was time to join in!  Here’s my “Happy Hockey” story:

One of my favorite hockey-related memories is of the Devils’ first Cup win in 1995.  I was 9 years old at the time.  My entire family (about 90% Devils fans with the exception of two cousins who are Rangers fans) was at my house that night for my uncle’s “bachelor party”.  As the game started, we all piled into our living room for the game, the anticipation nearly unbearable.  I don’t remember the details of the first two periods all that well – but I do remember my two Ranger-fan cousins looking increasingly unhappy as the third period ticked away.  And I will never forget watching Mike Peluso, the biggest guy on the Crash Line, bawling his eyes out before the game had even ended, completely incapable of taking his last few shifts.  There was mayhem in my house as the clock ran out, hugs and high fives all around as the team tackled Marty.  It was pretty unbelievable.