Popblerd’s hockey analysts take a look at the last week of NHL playoff action, as the Los Angeles Kings await their foe in the Stanley Cup final.
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Cold as Ice: Only The Strong Survive
Popblerd’s hockey analysts examine the past week’s action as the NHL playoffs move on toward the third round.
Cold As Ice: NHL Playoffs Are Chock Full O’ Upsets
As the first round of the NHL playoffs winds down, our hockey team of Stephen Mapes and Jay Kumar looks back at the last week of games, while watching the Boston Bruins and Washington Capitals play in overtime in game 7 of their series. Jay: Okay, well, here we are chatting while we wait for yet another overtime between Boston and Washington. Only this one is game 7. Next goal wins. What are your thoughts on this series? You picked […]
Cold As Ice: A Tale Of Two Hockey Cities
Even though they’re located just a few hours apart on opposite sides of the U.S.-Canada border, Buffalo and Toronto are very different cities. One’s a blue-collar burg known for heavy snowfall and chicken wings, the other’s the largest city in Canada known for its cosmopolitan image and gleaming skyline. And in the NHL, Buffalo and Toronto have been heading in opposite directions all season long. On Feb. 6, the Toronto Maple Leafs were sitting two points out of fourth place […]
Cold as Ice: Knowing When To Call it Quits
The current saga of Peyton Manning, the surefire Hall of Fame quarterback who’s planning to continue his playing career despite a serious neck injury, certainly resonates with fans of the NHL. Not so much the specific injury, but the situation. When is the right time for an athlete to retire? The NHL has seen several versions of this scenario play out in recent years. Most notably, the case of Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, the league’s best player, who has been out […]
Cold As Ice: Goalies Face Unrelenting Pressure On and Off ice
Hockey is the ultimate team sport, but more often than not, a team’s fortunes rest on the last line of defense: The goalie. You need more than just a good goalie to win, but things get much tougher for your team if your goalie can’t stop the puck. As the NHL season moves into its stretch run and teams battle for playoff spots, every game is crucial and immense pressure is placed on goalies. Several goalies have had outstanding seasons […]
Cold as Ice: Gearing Up for the Trade Deadline
Cynics love to complain about how the NHL regular season is meaningless, but for teams battling for a playoff spot, every game from now until the end of the season is huge. Every night, teams shuffle up and down the standings fighting to finish in the top eight in their respective conferences. The season ends April 7, but a much more immediate date looms for many teams: the NHL trade deadline on Feb. 27. As a result, teams are busily […]
Cold As Ice: Oh Great, It’s The All-Star Game
The NHL is in the annual mid-season lull known as the All-Star break. It’s a time for the league to celebrate itself with a skills competition, fan festival and of course, the All-Star Game itself. There’s just one problem: The NHL All-Star Game sucks. The game is designed to highlight the best players in the NHL, but it inevitably looks nothing like an NHL game and more like a game of pond hockey. There’s no defense, no hitting and the […]
Cold as Ice: Montreal Dealing With “Un Grand” Coaching Headache
It’s hard out here for a pimp. It’s even harder if you’re the new coach of the Montreal Canadiens and you can’t speak French. The Habs (aka “Les Habitants”) are the NY Yankees of hockey, with more Stanley Cup championships (24) than any other team by far (Toronto is next with 13). The franchise’s storied history is peppered with the exploits of legendary players like Rocket Richard, Bill Durnan, Boom Boom Geoffrion, Guy Lafleur, Jean Beliveau, Ken Dryden and Howie […]
Cold As Ice: Shooting To Thrill
In any pro sports league, you’ve got debates brewing over rule changes and inconsistencies. In baseball, the American League’s adoption of the designated hitter rule in 1973 is STILL hotly contested by purists. The NFL changed its kickoff rule this season to increase the number of touchbacks (in the name of player safety), but it also angered players who in previous years served solely as kick returners because they were essentially losing their jobs. In the NHL, a perennial argument […]
bLISTerd Presents: Koomdogg’s top 11 Albums of 2011
There were a lot of terrific rock albums in 2011, but the one that stood out for me was Fucked Up’s David Comes to Life, and not just because I can’t say the band’s name in front of my mom. The Toronto hardcore act has been around for a decade or so, signed to Matador for the last three. David Comes to Life is a sprawling rock opera about a factory worker in 1970s-era England, but more importantly, it kicks […]
Cold As Ice: Big Ch-Ch-Changes Ahead!
What does next year’s realignment mean for the NFL? Check out this week’s Cold As Ice column and find out what Jay has to say about it.