NHL Playoffs Showcasing Some New Blood

There will be a new Stanley Cup Champion this year and plenty of teams looking to end Cup droughts as they compete to play hockey in June. We've come a long way from the dynasties of the 1970s and 80s, and even a long way from the back-to-backs of the 1990s, and as a hockey fan, it's hard to complain about the new blood on display in this year's playoffs. 5 of the 8 teams left competing have never won the Stanley Cup, and 1 of those 5 teams are guaranteed a chance at participating in the Stanley Cup Finals for a chance to win their first Stanley Cup.

Who Will Be This Year's John Druce?

Back in the 1990 playoffs, John Druce of the Washington Capitals played some of the best hockey of his career putting up 14 goals in 15 games and leading his team in points with 17. This was a big deal because Druce was a 4th line defensive player who scored 8 goals during the regular season, but seemed to save his best for when it counted as he helped the Capitals make it to the Conference Finals and become a playoff legend.

Cheering For The Team (Not The City)

So far these playoffs we have seen a lot of star-powered and fan favourite teams exit early and start shining up their golf clubs to hit the links. When you look at the teams that have advanced so far from the Western Conference, none of these teams really stand out as a place young kids dream about playing hockey for. Nashville, Phoenix, St. Louis and Los Angeles aren't the biggest hockey markets and two of these teams have almost moved in the last few years to better (Canadian) hockey markets. Because of this, I've heard a lot of people complain about the Western Conference matchups and how they won't tune in to watch those games.

Defending The Lady Byng

Yesterday, the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy nominees were released, and the response was pretty much, "who cares?" Awarded to the "player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability" it is often considered an award you don't want to be associated with. In fact, in 2003 when Alexander Mogilny won the award, he didn't even bother showing up because he considered it a consolation prize. Well we're going to try and defend the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy  and attempt to make a case as to why it should be a relevant trophy for NHLers to compete for, especially in today's hockey climate.

#LisaHartnellDown

Scott Hartnell had some extra motivation to win the series against the Penguins after this sign showed up in Game 5 at Pittsburgh. For those unfamiliar with Lisa Renneke, she is the ex-wife of the power forward and was rumoured to have slept with former Flyer, Jeff Carter. While both publicly denied the affair, the divorce sounded brutal and Hartnell had a big decline in offence with the personal distraction dragging throughout the season. Well flashforward two years and Hartnell had a career season with 37 goals and 67 points with Renneke behind him, and Jeff Carter on another team (and maybe behind Renneke).

Guest Post By Mike Milbury (Not Actually Though)

All I've read about the past few days is how the playoffs have been dirty and have given the game of hockey a black eye. Well I think those writers have never had a black eye.

Wax Stain Rookie: Nathan MacKinnon

Wax Stain Wednesday is 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. WARNING: 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 QMJHL season featured a pretty good showdown for the rookie of the year between Mikhail Grigorenko and Nathan MacKinnon. Grigorenko was an import player who is currently ranked in the top 3 by many scouting services for in this upcoming draft. Craig Button from TSN believes Montreal will draft him while other sites like MyNHLDraft.com have him going to the Blue Jackets as the second overall pick. Nathan on the other hand is a 16-year-old who won’t even be 17 until September and is quickly earning notoriety and praise like another famous Nova Scotian hockey player. Only 7 points separated these two at the end of the regular season with Grigorenko finishing with 85 points compared to MacKinnon’s 78 points. At this point, many have Grigorenko winning the award, but MacKinnon could be the much better player when it comes to both being in the NHL.

@LAKings Rules

The Los Angeles Kings Twitter account made some headlines after their Game 1 victory last week against the Vancouver Canucks by posting this. Canucks fans were none too pleased at the shot @LAKings took in reference to them being one of the most hated teams in the NHL, even by Canadians. The Kings organization apologized for their Twitter guys trolling Vancouver fans, but the @LAKings have remained creative and engaging which is great to see when you compare it to other NHL teams Twitter accounts.

You Don't Need To Be An NHL Star To Get A Beautiful Wife

Get used to being that guy in the background, Mike Comrie. 

If it's not enough that NHL hockey players are living the dream of all hockey players, they are also going to bed with some very pretty ladies. There are many hockey players who's wives/girlfriends are Google'd multiple times every day, but even those average hockey players have landed some very beautiful women. Probably the most popular of this breed is shown above as Hilary Duff has domesticated Mike Comrie from being an oft-injured former 30 goal scorer to a stay at home Dad.

Toronto Maple Leafs End Of Season Party

Most people are fixated on the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now and may have forgotten about what the teams that didn't qualify for the postseason are up to. Well, they're obviously partying and drinking away their sorrows about not playing right now. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been having these parties every April now for some time, and we managed to catch up with some of those hired to work their most recent end of the season party.  

NHL Award Predictions: Who You Got?

Evgeni Malkin will score big at the NHL Awards in June. "Best Makeout" not included. 

With the NHL regular season coming to a close there's been a lot of trophy talk going around and it's time to weigh in on who will take home hardware in June. It's best to make your picks now before the playoffs so they don't influence you, so here are Dirty Dangle's picks for the major trophies. 

Wax Stain Rookie: Johan Hedberg

Wax Stain Wednesday is 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. WARNING: 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.

When it comes to the NHL, it appears that back-up goalies are a dime a dozen. I honestly believe that to be true, after all, wouldn’t you rather see 10-20 NHL games at full salary instead of 50-65 AHL games making 1/10th of what you could in the NHL?

Guide To Picking Your 2012 NHL Playoff Team

For many hockey fans, this is the best time of year. Their team is going into the playoffs after a strong regular season and because it's the playoffs, anything can happen. Well, for other hockey fans, their hockey teams didn't make the playoffs, and some may have even found this out months ago. Some of these fans may turn to the World Hockey Championships to see how their team's players are doing on the international stage, while others will start looking for a team to follow during the NHL Playoffs. This is no easy task.

Toronto Maple Leafs Open Letter To Fans (Rough Draft)

Last night, the Maple Leafs released an Open Letter To Leafs Fans on the team website. Well, unfortunately one the web guys for the Leafs was sloppier than Mike Komisarek's defence and accidentally published a Rough Draft of the Open Letter. We managed to save a copy of this rough draft and share it with the fans for them to see.

This wasn't the only draft the Maple Leafs wrote as the Buds at Pension Plan Puppets also found an original draft of Tanenbaum's letter. 

Toronto Maple Leafs Season In Review

What a rollercoaster season it was for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and as our hometown team, we're going to do a quick little season review for them looking at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from the past season.

End Of The Year Fantasy Hockey Awards

Fantasy Hockey GM of the Year

It's that time of year again when there's a few days between the NHL regular season and playoffs. This means season reviews, playoff previews, and award predictions. Well, being the fantasy hockey nuts that we are, we're going to salute those players this year that helped us win our fantasy hockey pools. Unlike the real NHL awards, we'll also look at some of the brutal performances from this year that you might have regretted.

Duncan MacPherson: A Frozen Mystery

The other night, I read an amazing article by Bruce Arthur of the National Post titled Acron Eger's Shadow. It's a great piece that took months of interviews to write and discusses the disappearance of British Columbian highschool basketball star Acron Eger, who went missing on a boat with his family while vacationing in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It happened in 1989, and Eger and his family have never been found or any trace of what might have happened to them. Rumours of kidnapping, pirates and a capsized boat were told, but the mystery remains unsolved. In an odd twist, the following night after reading Arthur's article, I saw a documentary titled The Iceman on CBC's the fifth estate that told the story of Duncan MacPherson, a Canadian hockey player who disappeared in the Austrian Alps in 1989, and was found 14 years later.

Other Great Pierre McGuire Awkward Moments

In case you missed it, last Sunday's Penguins/Flyers tilt got a little crazy at the end with Peter Laviolette and Tony Granato exchanging words while standing on the boards separating the two team benches. It was hilarious to see, partly because Pierre McGuire just stood there. He was just so awkward. There is yelling and screaming going all around him, and he's just standing there all nonchalantly.

Tips To Make Sure You Watch Every NHL Playoff Game

What watching hockey with a concussion is like.

With the Stanley Cup Playoffs just one week away, now is the time to start putting in the time with your girlfriend, family or kids. Spring is a busy time with tons of things to do around the house and with the warmer weather your GF/Wifey is going to want to be spending a lot more time outside and not sitting in on a Saturday watching a hockey game go into triple overtime. Be prepared for sarcastic remarks (e.g. "Oh, are the Leafs playing?") and the occasional backlash for not paying enough attention, but there are a few ways to avoid these problems and watch as much hockey as you want.