Stanley Cup Final Preview From My Young, Female Coworker Who Knows Nothing About Hockey

With the Vancouver Canucks and Boston Bruins starting up the Stanley Cup final tomorrow I was going to write up a nice long preview discussing the strengths and weaknesses of each team, but there are too many of those floating around already. So instead I asked my 21 year old female co-worker who isn't a hockey fan to see what she thinks about the upcoming series. She will be known has HYG (Hot Young Girl).

This is the Canucks propaganda for swinging the vote on who to cheer for in the Stanley Cup Final

DD: Have you enjoyed the Stanley Cup playoffs so far?

HYG: Sure... I watched a few games or have seen it on late at the clubs on Tuesday nights.

DD: Going into the Final, who do you think has the edge - Boston or Vancouver

Potential NHL 12 Covers

With media releases of NHL 12 detailing new additions and features to the game every week now, there is beginning to be a lot of hype surrounding the game. With the Winter Classic a playable option now, and goalies free range (again) for players to hit, there will no doubt be a great deal of pre-orders for this game set for release in mid-September. One question remains though: who will be on the cover of the NHL 12 Switzerland edition? It can't be Mark Streit again, he didn't play... El Nino? Jonas Hiller?

Alright, on a serious note, there's always lots of talk about who will be on the North American edition and that announcement in soon to come with the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) coming up shortly. Fans are already weighing in for Steven Stamkos, Tim Thomas, Ryan Miller, Henrik Sedin, and Shea Weber to grace the cover, but really it's a crapshoot (Sidney Crosby is yet to be on the cover, but Dion Phaneuf and Patrick Kane have).

Flashback Friday: Take It Easy Doug Weight

At the age of 40, Doug Weight retired yesterday from playing hockey and will now work for the New York Islanders as an Assistant Coach and Special Assistant to the General Manager. If having Garth Snow as the GM wasn't a joke already to the struggling organization, now they also have a GM assistant with zero management experience. While his duties as Assisant Coach are clear, there are some questions about what his role as Assistant to the General Manager is - maybe Dwight Schrute knows? Our guess is that he will be responsible for giving Garth Snow daily updates on Rick DiPietro's injury status. Regardless of Weight's future, his past career is worth a flashback.

The Memorial Cup Is Sweet

Kyle Wellwood would have tried a lot harder in junior if he was playing for this

 If you haven't been watching the Memorial Cup, you've been missing out. Considered one of the hardest trophies to win in sports with 60 teams competing for it annually, it makes for some great junior hockey. There's nothing better than young hockey players playing with everything they got knowing they may never have the chance to compete for this historic championship. This year, Hershey made a replica chocolate trophy to commemorate the tournament and the fact that the games are being played in Mississauga at the Hershey Centre.

Here are some more detailed pictures of the replica:

Wax Stain Wednesday

Wax Stain Wednesday will be a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. These posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

Just recently, I received autographs from two former members of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Both cards which I had picked up at the local swap meet were mailed away to Ron Ellis and Norm Ullman - and they both came back to me in less than a month.

Hockey Fan Passion Reveals Itself This Week

The other Sedin twins made an appearance at this Canucks game

The passion of hockey fans really showed this week. Partying in the streets after a championship win, showing your boobies to a player in the penalty box and unknowingly being caught on national television, and celebrating the rumour of an NHL team returning to your city. Lets take a closer look at these 3 events over the past week.

Flashback Friday - No Quiet Room For Kariya

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs in full swing, we are going to flashback on some of the greatest playoff moments. The Playoffs are great for creating those special moments where a goal, a pass or dangle become frozen in time and a recurring memory for hockey fans to look back on

Off The Floor! On The Board!

Back in 2003 there wasn't a quiet room for players to go to after taking a hard hit. Even now, it seems that if it's a big game, players don't go immediately to the quiet room for the mandatory 15 minutes to be evaluated by doctors.

2010 NHL Draft Redo

I had my Sim Hockey League draft the other night and they're always pretty interesting to participate in as you get to compare the results to that of the actual NHL draft. The great thing about these drafts are that they are usually a few months and sometimes a year after the actual NHL draft, so it gives you time to see how certain players are doing and which ones have already made it to the show.

I was able to grab Tyler Seguin with the 5th pick in the draft, and have to say I was pretty happy that he was still around. Even as a Toronto Maple Leaf fan that kinda-sorta wants him to become a bust, there was no way I wasn't taking him. With his talent it's hard not to believe he won't at least be a 25 goal guy that can put up 60 to 70 points in a few years.

Wax Stain Wednesday

Wax Stain Wednesday will be a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. These posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

I always thought that Kelly Hrudey was a pretty respectable, hard working guy who cares about the fans. After last week, I KNOW he is all those things and I am sure many more. In a span of 8 days I wrote him a letter, mailed it off and had all three cards I send out back in my possession, signed (which is a new personal best). One really cool thing, is he sent back the letter that I had sent him with a little message from him (no, not dear customer).

Here it is:

 When you send off an autograph request, it is always great when you get them back autographed because in my experience almost half of the requests never make it back. But, the one thing I enjoy even more than a successful request is when the player includes a little bonus or a note like Kelly Hrudey did.

To me, this is a sign that the player appreciates the letter as much as you appreciate their autograph and it is a gesture that I think speaks volumes about what the player thinks of their fans. It might have taken Kelly an extra 15 seconds to jot down a little message, but for me, that little gesture meant more to me than the autographs he signed. Needless to say in addition to three nice autos, I end up with a letter back - which I will certainly keep - with a personalized auto.

On to the autographs!

Canada and the Worlds

There hasn't been much to celebrate for Hockey Canada since Vancouver

Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson made headlines this week when he spoke out after Canada's quarterfinal loss as totally unacceptable, and indicated that a few players that chose not to come to Europe had reasons that were a little lame. He didn't name names, but he did mentioned that Hockey Canada and Canada have been pretty good to those players through the Under-18, the World Juniors and Olympic Games.

Wrapping Up The Worlds

It's been an eventful two weeks in Slovakia at the World Hockey Championships and it all came to end last night with a Finland Gold Medal. While not always a top calibre player tournament, it is always a fun watch as you're always guaranteed a few surprises.  Here are some stats and facts from the tournament you might have missed:

Down to the Final Four

With the Conference Finals ready to go tonight, Dirty Dangle previews the four remaining teams to see who their studs and duds are, as well who has been a nice surprise for them.

Vancouver Canucks

Stud:
Ryan Kesler has been the top dog for the Canucks. With 5 goals and 10 assists so far he has been the main offensive force, but has maintained his Selke form and ranks 5th out of all players in hits with 42. He was dominant against Nashville and is the Canucks Conn Smyth candidate right now.

Nice Surprise:
Christian Ehrhoff has been a rock on D for the Canucks these playoffs and sits 2nd in defence scoring this playoffs with 9 points in 13 games. He is a UFA at the end of the season, so he will be motivated to have a great playoffs and increase his payday in the offseason. Will he resign with the Canucks?

Shea Weber's Beard Eulogy

With the Nashville Predators eliminated from the playoffs by the Vancouver Canucks, we would like to say goodbye to Shea Weber's amazing playoff beard. Although he started growing it in February, it was still fitting because the Preds were starting their playoff push then and any good Captain wouldn't dare ruin that run with a razor. Fan condolences poured in after the Predators game six loss for Weber's beard, one of the more popular topics during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Wax Stain Wednesday

Wax Stain Wednesday will be a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. These posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

This past week, brought another Hockey Hall of Famer to my door step. This time, it was Red Wing and Maple Leafs great Red Kelly. Long before Dustin Byfuglien was a two position threat, there was Red Kelly.

Red Kelly’s amazing career began in Detroit as a defenceman in 1947 and finished as a forward with Toronto in 1967. Over his 20 seasons in the NHL as a player, he would win 8 Stanley Cups (4 with Toronto and 4 with Detroit). Red would also play in 12 NHL All-Star games (2 as a forward and 10 as a defenceman), win the Lady Byng Trophy 4 times, and become the first ever winner of the Norris Trophy.

The NHL Awards Shouldn't Suck

Jay Mohr is about as funny as his hairline

It was announced yesterday that Jay Mohr would be returning to Las Vegas to host the 2011 NHL Awards. Sigh...

The NHL always seems to disappoint when it comes to the NHL Awards. The NHL looks pretty low rate hiring a guy who has publicly announced he doesn't even like hockey to host their end of the year awards gala... for a second straight year. We wish Brendan Shanahan would take a look at the NHL Awards and give them a makeover like the All-Star Game because there is potential to make it a really fun night for the fans (other than the ones participating in a Dirty Dangle Drinking Game). Chaka Khan was bad, Jay Mohr is bad - learn from your mistakes. Here are some ideas for potential hosts:

Chicks Dig the Long Ball

"FOREEEEEEE Straight Losses"

With more NHLers heading to the cottages and links as their teams get eliminated from the Stanley Cup Finals, we remember this hilarious video from Cabbie on the Street about NHLers and their Long Ball. Hockey and Golf are pretty much the only two seasons to a hockey player, with the latter hoping to be put on hold for as long possible. Here's Cabbie talking to some NHLers on the links about their long ball, as well as ways to integrate girls into the hockey arena.

Flashback Friday - The Messier Guarantee

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs in full swing, we are going to flashback on some of the greatest playoff memories. The Playoffs are great for creating those special moments where a goal, a pass or dangle become frozen in time and a recurring memory for hockey fans to look back on

The New York Rangers were down 3- 2 during the 1994 Eastern Conference Finals. Their rivals the New Jersey Devils were just one game away from reaching the Stanley Cup finals when Mark Messier - the captain of the Rangers - told the New York media that he guaranteed a Game 6 victory. The guarantee was a headline in all the papers and became a huge story not just in New York, but all over the hockey world. It was compared to Babe Ruth pointing and calling his homerun or Joe Namath's Superbowl win guarantee.

Maple Leafs Fans Remember Today

May 4th - aside from having the distinction of being overused by Star Wars fans as "May the fourth be with you" - it's also the date of the Toronto Maple Leafs last playoff game. It's been 7 long years since May 4th, 2004, with the Maple Leafs failing to make the postseason since the NHL lockout of 2004-2005.

Wax Stain Wednesday

Wax Stain Wednesday will be a regular feature on Dirty Dangle. Our pal Dave at Wax Stain Rookie is an avid autograph and card collector and has some amazing experiences to share with us. These posts may make you want to buy a Beckett and get those dusty hockey cards out from under your bed that you hide from your girlfriend like a secret porn collection.

Well with the Canadiens falling short of making it to the second round; so ends my Canadiens TTM streak. I have been a fan of Mike Gartner for as long as I have been watching hockey. Hard to believe that someone with 708 career goals could be considered underrated, but I believe that to be true. Often when you look at best of lists, Mike Gartner is usually at or near the bottom of the list, if he is mentioned at all. For example, in 1998 The Hockey News released The Top 100 NHL Players of All-Time. The list was pretty comprehensive and gave some justification to the “greatest” of the player. Mike was listed at 89th on the list. With Eric Lindros sitting 54th on the list, I felt this was another example of Mike Gartner not getting the credit he deserves.

Canadian Politics and Hockey

With Canada's federal election at a close, it's time to review the winners and losers of last nights election with a comparison of the party leaders and Canada's national game - hockey

Not sure if shooting top right was for political reasons (personally we liked five hole on this goalie), but that's the way Canadians voted last night electing a 166-seat Conservative majority government.

Godfrey Matheson, Not Your Coach of the Year

Some of Coach Bombay's tactics might have been borrowed from Godfrey Matheson

Frederic McLaughlin was the Chicago Blackhawks first president and eventually became their majority owner. In his first 10 years as owner, he hired and fired 11 coaches. The worst of those was Godfrey Matheson.