Latest News Updates

Dodger Stadium Winter Classic; 10 worst NHL fans; ‘While The Men Watch’ debate (Puck Headlines) (Puck Daddy)

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media. • Viggo Mortensen is a huge Montreal Canadiens fan. What better way to remind the world of this fact than by wrapping Kirsten Dunst in a Habs flag at Cannes, continuing an odd red carpet tradition for Aragorn. [ OMG Yahoo! , via Martin Leroux] • Marty Brodeur on the Mark Messier guarantee ghosts of 1994 haunting the New Jersey Devils in Game 6: "I know if you guys look at it, it looks the same, but it's different teams and a different way of playing the game and it's 18 years ago and that's a long time. I know I'm feeling a lot different. I'm feeling a lot more appreciative of what's going on." [ Fire & Ice ] • Bruce Driver on 1994: "I ended up going to New York and played with Mark, a tremendous leader and one of the best captains of all time. In 1994 against us, Mark did what he did, backed it up and scored three goals. But from our standpoint, the way we looked at it, we blew the game." [ NYT ] • Great piece on the friendship between Devils fans and Rangers fans, unnatural that it is. [ WNYC, via Michael Raphael] • No structural damage in Michal Rozsival's knee after that Dustin Brown hit. [ Sportsnet ] • Mirtle with poll on fighting that finds hardcore fans love it, non-fans loathe it. [Globe & Mail, and see graphic ] • Earl Sleek sees a lot of the 2003 Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. Say, are those the Devils on the other side of the bracket? [ Battle of Cali ] • Los Angeles Dodgers President Stan Kasten wants to pursue a Winter Classic at Dodger Stadium. Read this and other stories in our new book "[Expletive] No One Would Be Saying If The Kings Weren't In The Cup Final." [ LA Times ] • Rich Hammond on the matter: "Gary Bettman has sneered (literally) at any suggestion that a Winter Classic could be played in a warm-weather environment. And while the Kings would love to host an outdoor game — Luc Robitaille is a particularly big proponent — AEG is also in the planning stages of a new downtown football stadium, which would probably be a more likely location in the event that Bettman stops sneering." [ LA Kings Insider ] • The 10 most annoying hockey fans. Including you, Guy Trying To Get on TV. [ THW ]

 

Marek Vs. Wyshynski Radio: Ron Hextall, Luke Richardson and Rangers/Devils (Puck Daddy)

It's a Thursday edition of Marek vs. Wyshynski beginning at 2 p.m. ET/11 a.m. PT , and we're talking about the following and more: Special Guest Stars: Los Angeles Kings assistant GM and former Philadelphia Flyers great Ron Hextall joins us, as well as former NHL defenseman and new B-Sens coach Luke Richardson. • In which Marek and Wysh break down Game 5 of the Devils/Rangers series, • The politics of viewing parties. • Conn Smythe Watch. • Puck Headlines and Talking Points Question of the Day: Who on your team could you see foolishly issuing a 'playoff guarantee'? Email your answers to puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or tweet them with the hashtag #MvsW to either @jeffmarek or @wyshynski . Click here for the Sportsnet live stream or click the play button above! Click here to download podcasts from the show each day Subscribe to the podcast via iTunes or Feedburner .

 

Los Angeles Kings Western Conference championship belt; yes, seriously (PHOTO) (Puck Daddy)

The NHL championship belt phenomenon has always intrigued us, whether it's the Chicago Blackhawks passing around a title belt during their Stanley Cup parade or the Phoenix Coyotes using it as their official postgame award to players of the game. Now, you can celebrate the Los Angeles Kings' 2012 Western Conference championship run with (Ric) flair: Somewhere, there's a John Cena spinning WWE logo without a belt ... so sad. This hastily crafted belt is available on eBay for $39.99 and chronicles the Kings rise to the Stanley Cup Final. Gaze upon the accurate home and road records, complete with unclosed parentheses. Marvel at the way the word "CHAMPIONS is oddly cropped and awkwardly spaced. Gawk at the way the semifinals and finals were preceded by "1st Rd." (That said, all the logos are correct , so the belt-maker is already overqualified to work as a local Los Angeles TV sports anchor.) (UPDATE: As Bren in the comments notes, it's the wrong Canucks logo. Expect to see whomever made this belt dropping "Brad Doty" references on LA TV soon.) As we said on the Marek Vs. Wyshynski podcast yesterday: Unless there is an historic, compelling reason to own conference or division champions gear — like the Florida Panthers in 1996, for example — then it serves two purposes only, which are dust rags or clothing a poverty-stricken village. Because in the end, Stanley Cup Champions gear will always supersede it; and if your team loses, it's just a sucky reminder of terrible times. But hey: Maybe you've got a Ring of Honor dark match to wrestle this weekend and you want to rep the Kings. In that case, $40 well spent. Meanwhile on eBay, you can buy Los Angeles Kings 2012 Stanley Cup Champions magnets and stickers. Pirated? Apparently. Hubrus? Totally.

 

Devils outlast Rangers, 5-3, take 3-2 series lead (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) The New Jersey Devils never could have imagined they would have a three-goal lead on the New York Rangers less than 10 minutes into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals at hostile Madison Square Garden.

 

Rangers run out of playoff luck as Game 5 rally goes awry at the worst time (Yahoo! Sports)

New York's resiliency and goalie Henrik Lundqvist's play have been exemplary throughout the 2012 postseason, but the breaks and bounces went against the Rangers when they could least afford it.

 

Lundqvist struggles as Rangers lose Game 5, 5-3 (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) The New York Rangers played their best game of the postseason against the New Jersey Devils. Unfortunately, it was a night Henrik Lundqvist played his worst

 

Devils on brink of playing for Cup (The SportsXchange)

The Los Angeles Kings await. But the New Jersey Devils still have some work to do.

 

Devils beat Rangers, on brink of Stanley Cup Finals (Reuters)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New Jersey Devils let a three-goal lead slip away against the New York Rangers on Wednesday but scored twice late in the third period to claim a 5-3 win and move within touching distance of a place in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals.

 

Wednesday’s Three Stars: Devils fourth line steps up; Watch Prust dive (Puck Daddy)

The New Jersey Devils, praying harder than John Tortorella. No. 1 Star: Stephen Gionta, New Jersey Devils Gionta led the way for the Devils in Game 5, opening the scoring just 2:43 into the game and then setting up Ryan Carter for the game-winning goal at 15:36 of the third period. And that, my friends, is how you make up for going 0-for-5 in the faceoff circle. No. 2 Star: Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers The Rangers' captain was a difference-maker Wednesday, playing 20 minutes, leading the way physically with a game-high 6 hits, hitting a post, and scoring early in the second period to cut the Devils' lead in half. But was his goal kicked in? No. 3 Star: Ryan Carter, New Jersey Devils Carter scored the winner and was a part of the Devils' fourth line that was the difference in Game 5. He, Gionta, and Steve Bernier all earned praise from Coach Peter DeBoer after the game.

 

Los Angeles Kings Stanley Cup Bid Backed by Honest Philadelphia Flyers Supporters: Fan's Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

The Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes in five games to earn the right to play for the Stanley Cup. The Philadelphia Flyers were convincingly pushed out of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the New Jersey Devils.