Playoffs are coming. We don’t want to be distracted by side issues. We’re 100 percent committed to the task at hand. But we still like the Quotes of the Week. “People are going to say what they’re going to say, but when someone steps on you with a skate, I don’t think anyone deserves that.” […]

My fellow IIHF.com columnist Risto Pakarinen has been busy on the podcasting circuit lately, promoting his new book, Off the Post. Listen to his chats with Andrew Findlater and Paul Kukla. Meanwhile, Joe Pelletier of GreatestHockeyLegends.com ventures a little further off the beaten path with articles on Muhammad Ali’s 1983 fight with Dave Semenko and […]

In case you’re wondering why updates have been infrequent recently, I spent a week vacationing in Huatulco, Mexico, where CNN occasionally shows 30 seconds of NHL highlights every four hours. When I got back, it was nice to see that the NHL had been as calm, peaceful, and serene as a Mexican beach, and the […]

Smart hockey and hard-hitting journalism. Could you ask for more of a winning combination? Why, it’s the essence of the latest NHL Quotes of the Week. “Not long ago, taking an aspirin was the medical solution for a concussion.” — Columbus Blue Jackets coach Ken Hitchcock on today’s increased awareness about this serious hockey health […]

What might Wayne Gretzky have said to Sidney Crosby in conversation outside the dressing rooms after the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Phoenix Coyotes 3-1 at Mellon Arena on Monday? Here are ten intriguing possibilities. 1. “Never call the New Jersey Devils a Mickey Mouse organization. What, that thought never crossed your mind?” 2. “Stay away […]

Armed robbery. Cheating husbands. Judy Garland. We’ve got it all covered in the latest edition of NHL Quotes of the Week. “I’m going to say, ‘Hey buddy, remember me, the guy whose career you almost ended last year? See this dent in my face? Want to be roomies?’” — Journeyman enforcer Todd Fedoruk on being […]

No NHL teams. (Too familiar to be “strange.”) No junior teams. (Sorry, Lewiston MAINEiacs–you have to be able to drink in the US.) No teams with foreign-language names. (“Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk” might look funny to North Americans, but so what? “Manchester Monarchs” looks funny to Russians.) No teams with regular animal or force-of-nature names. (Nice try, […]

When Brett Hull played in the NHL, he was a great right winger and an even better quote. But ever since the former 741-goal scorer was named the interim co-general manager of the Dallas Stars (along with Les Jackson) on November 11, replacing Doug Armstrong, he’s been a crashing bore. The former Stars “Ambassador of […]

“Words are very unnecessary, they can only do harm,” sang Depeche Mode in the 1990 hit single “Enjoy The Silence.” Oh yeah? Obviously, you don’t hear a lot of Depeche Mode around NHL dressing rooms. It’s just the second month of the 2007-08 regular season, and already, players, coaches, and owners are proving unable to […]

In Toronto, as we all know, the dream of winning a Stanley Cup for the first time in more than 40 years takes priority over combating international terrorism, finding a cure for AIDS, and putting the brakes on global warming. (Among other back-burner issues.) With that unwavering focus in mind, Toronto Sun sports columnist Steve […]