The National Hockey League has embraced the fight against homophobia — and it’s about time.

With the death of Brian Burke’s son Brendan and the subsequent ceasing of one of the first advocate for potentially gay professional hockey players,  many in the LGBT community wondered if the efforts would continue.

Well, they have. Not only has Brian Burke continued the advocacy, but his other son Patrick has put his efforts into raising awareness about gay athletes.  After his brother’s death, Patrick hit the road with Glen Whitman, the founding member of GForce, a Denver based hockey organization that has morphed from an all-star, all-gay hockey team to a full-fledged advocacy group.  Focusing on college athletes, the group presented panels at the University of Denver, Boston College and the University of Toronto.  Now, he’s created a new non-profit, called the “You Can Play” project.  With several NHL players as spokesmen, appearing in video clips, the support for gay athletes appears to be moving full speed ahead.

More and more pressure is being put on professional athletes to be accepting of teammates and opponents of all backgrounds.  The LGBT community has traditionally lagged behind in public acceptance, but hopefully with help from current NHL players and the efforts of supporters like Glen and Patrick, things will slowly begin to change.  Where it was once commonplace to hear not just the uneducated, homophobic slur, but to hear conscious bigotry against homosexuals, the locker room seemed to take on a “don’t ask, don’t tell” mentality with teammates that were either rumored or suspected to be gay.  Now, the doors of understanding are opening and players will soon be faced with accepting teammates who refuse to hide their sexuality.

Take the March 17 episode of Hockey Night in Canada’s ”After Hours” program.  Vancouver Canucks forward Chris Higgins was asked by a gay Tweeter for his opinion on the “You Can Play” campaign, and how he would feel if he had an “out” teammate.  Kudos to the HNIC staff for allowing the question to be asked, or for literally making Chris Higgins sweat!

Who will be the first NHL player to come out?  Probably someone we least expect.  After all, being in the NHL to begin with defies all stereotypes.    And in my opinion, this is a good thing.

 Photograph:  Screen capture from “You Can Play” ad

The 2011 winner of Gagarin Cup is Salavat Yulaev from Ufa. They managed to finish the final series against Atlant (Mytischi — a suprising finalist, as no one expected they would play in the final) in five games. The head coaches of Salavat are from Russia’s national team: Vyacheslav Bykov and Igor Zakharkin. So I suppose quite a few of the champions will be present at the coming IIHF Worlds in Slovakia. Some fantastic photos can be found here — at one of the best Russian sports photographers: http://vladimir-pesnya.livejournal.com/644925.html

Here are some videos after the final game. The players share their joy and happiness, I think these are always the best moments of any big victory!

Pinch me.  I must be dreaming.  For the Avalanche just announced that my all-time favorite hockey player is returning to the NHL.

That’s right.  Peter Forsberg has just signed with the Colorado Avalanche for the remainder of the year.

How many times have I sat in my office looking at the almost life-size adhesive image of him that clings to the wall behind my door, wishing I could see him just one more time?   How many times have I sighed wistfully as I reach across my McFarlane action figure of the infamous number 21 to turn on my computer?

Anyone who has ever watched the game of hockey respects the talent he holds.  To this day he is still probably the most skilled, all-around player ever to step on the ice.  And we are lucky we get to see him one more time.

Peter was an icon here in Colorado.  The newspapers were always abuzz about him. They profiled his house up in Genesee, reported on the rare girlfriend he might have at the time and even covered his move to his downtown penthouse condo.  If you was lucky, you might see him and his bff Dan Hinote at local country bar Stampede or at a Cherry Creek restaurant, an experience that you could brag to your friends about for months.

I’ll never forget the day I met Peter and had my picture taken with him.  My husband and I were down in the family waiting area with Cody McCormick’s dad, waiting for him to come out of the Avalanche locker room after a game against the Rangers.  Cody’s dad was playful nudging me to ask players like Joe Sakic for a picture.  I was far too embarrassed to ask a player I had never met for a picture.  It just wasn’t something I did.  Until Peter emerged.  I wanted to ask but I was frozen, unable to move.  Luckily, my shy husband took the initiative and asked Peter for a picture with me.

I still have that picture — Peter leaning in and smiling big.  I think I’ve shown it to almost everyone I know. Yes, I’m a Peter Forsberg fangirl and proud of it!

Now, in just over a week if all goes well, I’ll be spending Valentines Day with my husband AND Peter — at the Colorado Avalanche/Calgary Flames game here in Denver.  What more could a girl ask for?

Photos: Peter Forsberg by Goddess Sasha. Copyright 2008. Peter Forsberg and Goddess Sasha by Chris McCormick.  Copyright 2003.  All Rights Reserved.

Former NHL star and current KHL player, Slava Kozlov, has changed his club right before the playoffs. His former team — CSKA Moscow — is having a poor season and the move enables him to continue his career on a more successful team. Kozlov has joined Salavat Yulaev — one of the strongest clubs in the KHL. The team’s coach, Slava Bykov, is a former player and a current manager of Russia’s national team.

On Salavat Yulaev Ufa, Slava joins several other former NHLers including Viktor Kozlov, Dmitri Kalinin and Alexander Radulov. According to the official Salavat site, Slava will wear No. 32.

The player himself commented his transfer, saying that his new colleagues were masters and it was pleasant to be with them on one team. Let’s see now how far Salavat will go through the playoffs.

Photo: Vyacheslav Kozlov from Salavat Yulaev’s official website.

KHL All Star Game 2011 took place in Saint-Petersburg. As usual, teams were divided under Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Yashin’s names. The show started with skills competitions, which was quite fun. Here’s the full list of winners according to the KHL official website.

Yashin 4-3 Jagr

Superskills competition

TEAM YASHIN 4
TEAM JAGR     3

Fastest skater
Team Yashin: Lauris Darzins, Leo Komarov, Maxim Afinogenov – 13.96 sec.
Team Jagr: Lukas Kaspar, Roman Cervenka, Evgeny Kuznetsov
1-0

Longest shot
Team Yashin: Denis Grebeshkov, Sandis Ozolins, Jozef Vasicek
Team Jagr: Janne Niskala, Konstantin Korneyev, Martin Skoula
1-1

Puck control relay
Team Yashin: Sergei Mozyakin, Maxim Sushinsky, Jozef Vasicek, Alexander Guskov, Matthias Weinhandl
Team Jagr: Lukas Kaspar, Patrick Thoresen, Alexei Morozov, Janne Niskala, Alexander Radulov
2-1

Shooting accuracy
Team Yashin: Sandis Ozolins, Chris Simon – 5 shots on 4 targets, Alexei Yashin
Team Jagr: Kevin Dallman, Sergei Fedorov, Jaromir Jagr
3-1

Hardest shot
Team Yashin: Maxim Solovyev, Alexander Guskov, Karel Rachunek
Team Jagr: Konstantin Korneyev, Ilya Nikulin, Denis Kulyash – 177.58 km/h
3-2

Shootout
Team Yashin: Sergei Mozyakin, Maxim Sushinsky and Matthias Weinhandl vs. Stefan Liv
Team Jagr: Roman Cervenka, Evgeny Kuznetsov and Alexander Radulov vs. Dominik Hasek
3-3

Fastest skater team relay
Team Yashin: Konstantin Barulin, Denis Grebeshkov, Peter Podhradsky, Leo Komarov, Lauris Darzins, Maxim Afinogenov
Team Jagr: Mikhail Biryukov, Konstantin Korneyev, Kevin Dallman, Petri Kontiola, Lukas Kaspar, Alexei Morozov
4-3

The most awesome moment to my opinion was Evgeny Kuznetsov shootout with Hasek. BTW, Evgeny asks everyone to call him “Kuzya” :)

KHL All Star Game 2011 Evgeny Kuznetsov Breakaway Challenge Winner

KHL All Star Game 2011 Shots competition

KHL All Star Game 2011 Hardest Shot 110.3 mph Denis Kulyash

The game itself was rather fun, too. It ended with a new record 18:16, and Jagr once again beat Yashin. Here’re the highlights.

KHL All Star Game 2011 highlights

No, it’s not Tyler Seguin, the Bruins’ #1 choice (#2 overall) in the 2010 draft. And it’s not Jordan Caron, their #1 choice in 2009 (#25 overall). Nor is it Joe Colborne, #1 in 2008 (#16 overall). Caron and Colborne are playing in Providence with the AHL Bruins, and Seguin is doing fairly well in Boston but not exactly setting the world on fire.

No, the Bruins’ top rookie, a guy who in the past month has played himself into the Rookie of the Year conversation, is none other than Brad Marchand.

Who?

A native of Nova Scotia, Brad Marchand is a 5-foot, 9-inch, 190-pound (10 pounds of which appears to be
nose and eyebrows) ball of fire who was the third pick of the Bruins in the 2006 draft (#71 overall), behind Phil Kessel and Milan Lucic. He played the 2008-09 season in Providence, putting up 18 goals and 41 assists in 79 games, and adding seven goals and eight assists in 16 playoff games. But his biggest claim to fame in the P-Bruins’ final playoff series vs. the Portland Pirates is that he somehow managed to goad a Portland player into coming off the bench and attacking him during a game.

You could say that Brad Marchand made his name as an agitator.

He scored 32 points in 34 games in his second year in Providence and earned himself some time in Boston, but only recorded one assist in 20 games. Determined to make the big club this fall out of training camp, he outperformed veteral Daniel Paille and earned a spot on the fourth line alongside center Greg Campbell and Shawn Thornton.

Dubbing themselves the “Merlot Line” after the maroon color of their practice jerseys, the Marchand/Campbell/Thornton combination was the Bruins’ fourth line in name only. They were the go-to guys when coach Claude Julien wanted to get the Bruins rolling with their relentless forchecking and tenacious play. Thornton, who had never scored more than six goals in his NHL career, has seven already this season.

It took Marchand some time to find the net – he finally potted his first NHL goal on Nov. 3, appropriately enough, on a shorthanded breakway, showcasing his PK ability, his shot, and his speed:

But it really wasn’t the job of the Merlot Line to score, rather to agitate the opposition.

And did they ever. Though known as something of a punk in the AHL, Marchand (at the request of Julien) has toned it down a bit in the NHL, though he’s still a threat to draw penalties with his hard-charging style of play, and he doesn’t hesitate to throw a verbal jab when he can or stick up for his teammates, despite his small stature.

But as solid and impressive as he was on the Merlot Line, Marchand really started to take off due to an injury to Milan Lucic in early January, which caused some line shuffling. Paille took Marchand’s spot alongside Campbell and Thornton, and Marchand was moved onto a line with Patrice Bergeron and Mark Recchi. And the result was magic.

Since joining the wiley veteran Recchi and Bergeron, one of the most complete players in the NHL, Marchand has scored seven goals and added four assists in 13 games. His plus/minus in those games is +12, and overall he is tied for fourth in the NHL in plus/minus at +21 (with Bergeron, among a few others), tops among rookies. He also leads the NHL in shorthanded goals with four, is sixth in rookie goal-scoring with 13 and second in shooting percentage at 15.5.

He’s come out of nowhere, surprised just about everyone (except maybe himself), and, just as he forced himself into the Boston lineup, he’s forcing himself into the NHL’s collective consciousness. He probably won’t win the Calder Trophy, but he certainly deserves the NHL’s attention.

Photo courtesy of bestlaidplans.org

The holidays are nearly upon us, which means it is time for this goddess to finally start posting this season.  Just like the media, we’re getting a bit Eastern Conference heavy here, so I think it’s time to give some love to the West.

As an Avs fan, I’ve noticed the topic of the week has been this strange little dance that Paul Stastny and Matt Duchene do at the end of every victorious game.  For me, the origin of the dance is less significant than what this symbolizes to the team.

While I don’t really know Stas, I saw him frequently during his college days at the University of Denver.  His Facebook page and reputation was one that might lead people to think he was one wild and crazy guy, he has always been publically a surprisingly subdued individual both on and off the ice.  So, to see him so animated is indicative of the climate of the team and believe they have in themselves.

No, there is no Joe Sakic to carry the team and no Patrick Roy to save the day.  Gone are the days of other top names being perennial underachievers.  The Avs are getting it done with a group of guys who on paper look to be a minor league team with a couple of stars in the making and some average vets – and both they and the fans are having a blast in the process.

I’ve been saying for years that I’d rather see overachieving guys that work hard and play tough than a bunch of superstars not living up to their potential.  Guess what?  They’ve finally gotten there.  Just ask Paul Stastny.

Photo: Matt Duchene and Paul Stastny from The Associated Press.

Former NHLer and newly acquired CSKA Moscow forward Slava Kozlov says he hasn’t had any problems adapting to his Russian club.

- I had been preparing to my comeback to Russia.  When I played for Atlanta I already planned to try myself in the KHL. It turned out that in the end I got back to CSKA — to the club which I had left 18 years ago. So I don’t have any troubles with adaptation in Russia.

-I’m surprised by the new league. The KHL has a very high level of hockey. Organizational issues in the CSKA are OK, too. We have all the conditions to show our best game.

Photos and interview (c) official CSKA website.

One of the most prominent Russians in the National Hockey League, Vyacheslav Kozlov, will play in the Kontinental Hockey League this year. The Russian press reports Slava has signed a one-year contract with CSKA Moscow.

Kozlov will swap his trademark No. 13 jersey for No. 72. He joins former NHLers Stephen Valiquette and Yan Stastny, and former Ottawa Senators prospect Ilya Zubov on the Red Army team.

A two-time Stanley Cup winner with the Detroit Red Wings, Kozlov was the last member of the vaunted “Russian Five” to play in the NHL. His signing with CSKA, however, reunites him with fellow Russian Fiver Viacheslav Fetisov, who is the club’s president.

Photo: Vyacheslav Kozlov by Goddess Kaatiya. Copyright 2010. All Rights Reserved.

I’m doing all right/getting good grades,
The future’s so bright/I gotta wear shades.

More than 25,000 people attended two Bruins/Islanders rookie games this week at TD Garden in Boston. On Wednesday night, I was one of them. Some impressions from a seat five rows behind the Bruins bench:

I’ve been missing hockey, but it hit home with even more force when I saw the first kid wearing the Spoked-B jersey pop onto the ice for pre-game warmups to the appropriate tune of U2′s “Vertigo.” Why does that sight, after so many years, both up and down, still bring a lump to my throat? I don’t know, but from the looks on the kids’ faces (most trying to appear businesslike, but many unable to keep from shooting wide-eyed peeks at the crowd filling the lower bowl of seats), a lot of them shared that feeling.

Tyler Seguin elicited a significant number of screams from teen-age girls. I’m sure his teammates let him hear about it.*

* Actual converstion overheard in bathroom post-game, between apparently clueless teen-age girl, and teen-age girl wearing Lucic T-shirt with “19″ inscribed on both cheeks:

“Who’s 19?”

In disbelieving voice: “Tyler Seguin?”

“Oh, is he cute?”

“Um… yeah.”

“Where’s he from?”

Appalled silence.

The game itself was what you’d expect from a couple of rookie squads — exciting plays, busted plays, end-to-end action, missed shots, awkwardness, brilliance, and, as the game went on, increased belligerence, including several fights, assorted scrums and a large amount of yapping.

All three of the Bruins’ latest first-round picks played well — Seguin (’10), Jordan Caron (’09) and Joe Colborne (’08) — but it was Caron who stole the show by completing a hat trick with 37 seconds left to secure a 5-2 win. (His first goal came off a lovely redirect in front of the net, the second on a Savard-like feed from Seguin on a PP). Hats flew, a perfect capper (haha!) to the night.

The lone sour note came about halfway through the third period when Colborne took a stick in the mouth from teammate Lane MacDermid, who lost control of it when he was elbowed by New York’s Justin Dibenedetto. Bleeding and staggering, Colborne was helped from the ice, but thankfully was fine the next day, albeit with more than 25 stitches in his upper lip. He reportedly wanted to play in the rematch Thursday night but sat out as a precaution.

I didn’t attend the second game but caught some glimpses of the live stream at the Bruins’ web site. Boston won again, 2-1, on two goals by Ryan Spooner (second round, ’10 draft), the last on a breakaway with 30 seconds left in overtime. Cue an even wilder celebration.

Yeah, it’s just a couple of rookie games. Yeah, that’s the closest to the NHL a majority of these kids will ever get. But as a Bruins fan (and as a hockey fan), I couldn’t help but get excited. Because a lot of these kids are the real deal, to say the least.

Russian defenseman Yury Alexandrov was solid, with good positioning and obvious stick skills. Wings Max Sauve and Jamie Arniel displayed amazing wheels. Goalies Adam Courchaine (first game) and Michael Hutchinson (second game) are going to make decisions about their landing spots this fall difficult.

And bottom line, after watching this game, I believe one of the Bruins’ most pressing (yet often overlooked) needs has been addressed: Depth.

Last year, with members of the big club dropping like flies, right through the playoffs, the lack of suitable replacements hobbled the Bruins. Of course, it’s a rare team that has such depth in its system — most can’t afford to stash studs in the minors. But this year, it appears the Bruins just might have the perfect storm of good young players in the AHL, just a one-hour drive south of Boston. Caron, Colborne, Sauve, MacDermid, Alexandrov, Steve Kampfer, Matt Bartkowski, are just a few of the players who’ll be eligible  for the American Hockey League.

The future not only looks amazingly bright, it’ll be here faster than a lot of people think.

Here you can watch a video from the Russian news about New Jersey’s Ilya Kovalchuk who is training in Moscow.

The correspondent says Ilya looks as if there wasn’t this loud story on Ilya’s contract. Ilya was in a good mood because he had been right back from his hometown — Tver — and was heading to Miami, Florida to his wife and kids.

In this video you can also see Nikolai Zherdev now of the Philadelphia Flyers, who is training at the same arena.

Russian hockey stars Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Ovechkin organized a charity game “With all the heart” in Moscow’s Sokolniki Arena. All the money will be sent to people who suffered from the recent forest and other fires in Russia. The original idea belonged to Ilya.

Many famous current and former players took part in the Ovie vs Kovy game including: Evgeni Malkin, Nikolai Zherdev, Slava Kozlov, Alexei Kasatonov, Slava Fetisov, Alexander Kharlamov, and Dominik Hasek. Many top Kremlin officials, KHL President Alexander Medvedev and various celebrities were in attendance.

Kovalchuk and Ovechkin invited their first coaches to participate in the game as managers.

After the game Kovalchuk admitted that it had been a pleasure for him to play at Sokolniki — at his home arena (where HC Spartak Moscow plays). He also said he and his family had suffered from the Moscow smog. For those who haven’t heard, the city of Moscow and its surrounding areas were recently blanketed in smoke from fires burning near the city, as the Russian capital endured extraordinarily high summer temperatures.

Ovechkin said that such charity activities should be developed in Russia. He added that he had been in the Moscow smog, too.

Former Atlanta Thrasher Slava Kozlov admitted he hadn’t defined his future career yet. He asked not to link his visit to Russia with contract talks — his purpose there was to visit his parents. Kozlov also said that the New Jersey Devils didn’t call him — only Kovalchuk asked him to join.

Here’s a video from the show which ended 13:13.

And here are photos from the Russian media and various open sources

I have to say I gasped, then laughed like crazy when I saw the latest in Ilya-gate. The arbiter ruled in favor of the National Hockey League! WHAT?! As the late, great Johnny Carson would no-doubt have said (if he’d been a hockey fan), “that’s some weird, wild stuff.”

What is it with these ex-Atlanta Thrashers who become drama queens when they leave the team? Maybe Kovy has always been a bit of a diva (yeah, he has been), but we’ve had a string of interesting former Thrasher players all mixed up in the drama: Hossa-gate (and all the unnecessary rudeness surrounding it, of which I disapproved), Dany-gate (and all the rudeness that he did deserve), now this. A high-profile player cannot leave the Thrashers without drama ensuing — either immediately, during or after his departure. (So we stand on alert waiting for Kari Lehtonen to implode, get thrown from a bucking bronco at a dive bar in Dallas and tweak his groin, or eat himself into a fast food coma.)

Kovy, Kovy, Kovy. You could have avoided all of this ages ago by just taking the sweetheart deal the Thrashers begged you to sign.

This is all very amusing to me. Is it just me?! Perhaps “drama queen” is overstating it, but really. This is crazy. Kovalchuk is a free agent again! A little more than a month after he became a UFA, Kovalchuk could flit off to the Kontinental Hockey League and join the super team SKA St. Petersburg seems to be amassing over there. He could crown himself a Los Angeles King after all. Or, the humble and loving Thrasher fan in me naively, somewhere in the back of her mind thinks, he could come home to Atlanta. Yes. Go get him Dudley! (Oh! Silly me. We are not a “class organization” in his eyes, so never mind the bollocks!)

Am I spiteful? Just experiencing a wicked case of schadenfreude and am all giddy? Feel free to leave a comment and let me know. Until then … LOL Kovy. Oh dear!

Photo: Ilya Kovalchuk from kiltmen.com. If I am not mistaken, that photograph originally appeared in a fashion spread in a magazine many years ago. The Hockey Goddesses regret not knowing the original copyright owner, but would welcome this information (as much as we would welcome knowing how the author of the story and/or photographer persuaded him to pose in this garb — delightful and oddly sexy as it is.)

Hi everyone, hope your summer has been good! Mine’s been eventful to say the least. It’s been pretty quiet on the Caps corner of the hockey world this summer. Then again, perhaps not.

The Caps have signed DJ King and Danny Sabourin, re-signed Ovechkin’s English tutor in Brian Willsie, watched Joe Corvo and Shoane Morrisonn sign elsewhere, and have said Au Revoir to Jose Theodore in these dog days in the lives of us hockey fans.  All of our signings are expected to be on the Hershey roster come opening night for the regular NHL season. This is somewhat to the disgruntlement of that hockey fan who loves a good free agent splash or blockbuster trade in the off-season. Or perhaps that fan who wishes the GM would have addressed some glaring issues on the roster (as last year’s roster clearly didn’t get it done) by now.

*Cough*Defense*Cough*

With the departure of Jose Theodore and the signing of Sabourin, this solidifies the rumor the Capitals are planning on having the net minded by their two young goalies for the 2010-2011 season. Russian Semyon Varlamov and the Czech Michal Neuvirth can rest easy now… or should they?

Most Caps fans would be lying if they said they were totally comfortable with this idea. Placing the fate of the team in an unproven goalie and a another unproven goalie doesn’t sit well with fans of any team. Is it a bit harsh to call Varlamov an unproven goalie? Perhaps, but I’m going on the whole fact that in two consecutive play-off runs Varlamov has been booted from being the starting goalie by that same goalie we just let walk. One doesn’t exactly want to start planning the parade route with that in mind. Is Varlamov only coming off his first full season as an NHL goalie? Yes, and one must remember that, but two play-off runs have not treated Varlamov kindly. Then again the team in front of him didn’t show up to help some nights, so more leniency must be given with that also in mind.

I also hate to stamp Neuvirth with that same stigma as an unproven goalie with his impressive resumé in the AHL and excellent play in net for the Capitals as a call-up. But truth be told, we’ve not seen what he looks like long-term as an NHL goalie, and until we do, the jury will remain silent. All arrows point to a winner in Neuvirth and for that most fans are excited to see how he will shape up with the responsibility and duty of being our back-up. For all intents and purposes the kid has earned his shot in Washington, and we hope it turns out to win us a Cup before the apocalypse occurs.

This also begs the conversation of which of our two young talents will turn out to be the better goalie? Personally I’ve come to the conclusion that the Czech will beat out the Russian by the time they both hang up the skates (put down the glove?). While I think Varlamov possess the more raw talent of the two, his sometimes jittery play and scrambling in the net will ultimately be his personal evil. He can either dazzle you with the athletic highlight reel save, or make you cringe in horror and disbelief he let in such a soft goal (again) even a person who has never put on skates could have stopped. In some ways I feel his play-off benchings are a warning sign to us all not to pin our hopes and dreams on the young Russian.  While I don’t think he will be a bust by any means, I don’t think we should butter our bread just yet with him.

Neuvirth might not possess that same raw talent, but being so technically sound and such a calming presence in net will make him the better of the two if Varlamov does not learn to settle down in games.  The team feeds off that calmness and plays better, which in turn makes us fans breathe a little sigh of relief (and lets us actually sit and enjoy the games once in a while). His two consecutive AHL Calder Cup winning seasons in Hershey — while also snagging the play-off MVP trophy in 2009 I might add, Chris Bourque grabbed that honor this past season — certainly makes one pay attention. In short: Neuvirth is the more complete player of the two.

Don’t get me wrong, both goalies are going to be highly successful in their NHL careers. As a Caps fan who has been through the Jagr Debacle and ensuing team firesale,  you tend to brace for the worst. However, this is one argument or problem I’d take any day of the week: two young promising young goalies fighting for command of the #1 spot?

Priceless.

Just as they always say, hockey is 20% physical and 80% mental and this is one of those cases where that cliché applies perfectly. So who will win this battle of will?

Photos:  Michal Neuvirth and Semyon Varlamov by Annalisk19 at Flickr.com.  Copyright 2010.  All Rights Reserved.  Jose Theodore by Reuters.

Do you need something to distract you from the stifling heat?

I’ve been enjoying the offering of 35 years of Stanley Cup Finals on the NHL Network. What they’ve done in their Raising the Cup series, is to take the Cup-clinching game of each year and show it in its entirety. True greatness! (Although not shown in Canada.)

We’ve been able to see some of these games before on their Vintage Games series, but the games are always compressed and chopped up. So when I see that they have five hours dedicated on August 6 for the 1999 game, excuse me while I get a little excited. Few, if any, have that entire game on DVD. Now, because of the NHL Network, we’ll have a chance to throw away our deteriorating VHS tapes of that triple-overtime fingerbiter.

I’ve watched bits and parts of most of the games, including the North Stars loss in 1981 to the Islanders and the 1991 loss to the Penguins. Why? Because they are moments of time that my favorite team will never get back. How great was it to see rookie Dino Ciccarelli, or a young Mike Modano weaving his way through defenders? To see Neal Broten as captain still encouraging his clearly outmanned team?

And what Canucks fan wouldn’t want to see the beloved Trevor Linden single-handedly almost beating the Rangers? Or a Blackahawks fan watch Chris Chelios in his full glory almost decapitating Larry Murphy, or the skinny kid Roenick try to get a puck past Barraso? Even though you know your team didn’t win, how great is it to see your favorite players back in their prime? AND… still on your team!

To me, the worst part of this series has been some of the game presentations. Sometimes you get the CBC coverage, but there have been MSG, and Pittsburgh feeds also. Brutal … that’s all I can say about those Pens’ feeds. Especially against the Blackhawks. Blech! Talk about homers! It makes today’s Avs and Ducks guys seem tame in comparison. (oh, and Jack Edwards, I miss the OLD you!)

My favorite game so far has been the 1993 Kings/Canadiens game with the ESPN feed. It wasn’t seeing all the Habs players who ended up in Dallas, or seeing Denis Savard’s eyes glistening as he stood behind the bench, or even Barry Melrose’s superior mullet. Nope, it was seeing Tom Mees again.

Who is Tom Mees you might ask? Tom was hockey on ESPN. He was one of the original Sports Center anchors, but when the NHL started on ESPN in 1987, he became their chief play-by-play guy.  He was also instrumental in furthering NCAA hockey coverage, as well as bringing the Frozen Four to national prominence. Unfortunately, Tom died in 1996 of an accidental drowning. During the work stoppage, I often wondered what role his voice could have had in ending that madness sooner.

A few other goodies gleaned from the broadcast?

• That Patrick Roy was about to become the first $3 million goalie.
• That ESPN2 was about to be up and running.
• The interview with Brian Bellows where he talked about how happy he was to win the Cup, but that he wished he could have won it two years earlier for the fans of Minnesota. I may have teared up at that.

So thank you NHL Network for sharing these full game gems with us. I’ll be watching for 1999 and 2000, even though the latter didn’t turn out the way I would have liked.

P.S.  This is a tough week for my old Norris Division heart. Congrats to Marty Turco, and a possible congrats to Modano, who I hear is about to sign a deal with the anti-Christ.  Patrick Kane is going to score a gazillion goals with Marty’s puckhandling skills, and Mike??? Continue being you.

Photos:  Mike Modano from Getty Images; Tom Mees from Wiki Commons.