Editor’s note: This week, Popblerd hockey scribe Jay Kumar examines the debate over NHL fighting, which is once again heating up. We’re barely a week into the 2013-14 NHL season and already a coach has been fired , a player has been stuck in a Dallas bathroom and the debate over the role of fighting in hockey has once again been renewed. It didn’t take long for the season’s first shockingly violent moment to occur. Just 2:34 into the third period of last Tuesday’s Leafs-Canadiens game, enforcers Colton Orr and George Parros squared off […]
Cold as Ice
Cold As Ice: 2013-14 NHL Preview
Editor’s note: The 2013-2014 NHL season kicks off Tuesday night with three games, including Toronto at Montreal and the defending Stanley Cup champs Chicago hosting Washington. Popblerd’s resident hockey scribes Jay Kumar and Stephen Mapes take a look at what to expect this season. Jay: Summer flew by and here we are, about to dive into another season of NHL hockey. What are your thoughts entering into this full season after last year’s exciting shortened season and playoffs? There are […]
Cold As Ice: A Short But Sweet Season
Editor’s note: Popblerd’s hockey correspondents Stephen Mapes and Jay Kumar take a final look at the 2013 season, which ended Monday night when the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Boston Bruins to win their second Stanley Cup in four years. Jay: Okay, so we just came off a pretty damn exciting Stanley Cup final that saw Chicago take it in 6. What did you think? Did it meet your expectations? Stephen: It met and exceeded, I’d say. While I would have […]
Cold As Ice: And Then There Were Four
Editor’s note: With the conference finals of the NHL playoffs beginning tonight, Popblerd’s hockey writers Stephen Mapes and Jay Kumar review the second round and look ahead to the third. Jay: Well, here we are with the conference finals about to begin Saturday. What are your thoughts about the end of the second round? Stephen: It was interesting how the East had definitive champs, while the West was a total toss up. I am a bit surprised the Kings made […]
Cold as Ice: There’s Got to Be a Morning After…
After nursing their wounds and counting their blessings, respectively, Jay and Stephen are back to recap the happenings in round two of the playoffs. Here’s your cheat sheet to sound like you know your hockey in the bar this week! Jay: Much has happened since last we chatted. We left off just before the game 7s between Toronto and Boston and Washington and the Rangers. And then it’s all a blank for me…or I wish it was. Oy. Stephen: I don’t […]
Cold As Ice: The Wonders of Round 1
Popblerd’s hockey mavens Stephen Mapes and Jay Kumar discuss the first round of the NHL playoffs.
Cold as Ice: Playoffs? Playoffs!?
They’re baaack! After a shortened NHL season, Jay and Stephen return to pontificate, wax philosophical, and just generally shoot the breeze about this year’s playoff season. From the dark horses to the blue chips, we break down who we think will move one step closer to Lord Stanley’s halls. Plus, Jay is just giddy his Leafs made it past the regular season. Jay: Well, it’s been a few months since we last convened, and in that time, there’s been a […]
Cold As Ice: After Nearly a Decade, Playoff Fever Grips Toronto
Editor’s note: After a brief hiatus, Cold As Ice is back as Popblerd hockey scribe Jay Kumar shares his joy at his favorite team making the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Nine years is a long time. We’ve seen a slew of revolutionary technological advancements since 2004: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, the iPad, super-fast smartphones. My youngest daughter was born that March and is now 9. And next week, the Toronto Maple Leafs will play their first […]
Cold As Ice: Is Expansion In The NHL’s Future?
The NHL may be expanding by two teams in the next few years. Popblerd’s hockey correspondent Jay Kumar explains why he doesn’t like the idea.
Cold as Ice: Why Do We Bother?
Well, my Pens lost today. Mostly through a third period meltdown that saw them racking up the penalties and impotently trying to survive shorthanded again and again. It was a frustrating way to lose, and in all honesty, I’m a little bit bummed out now, even though I have zero personal stake in the game. It’s a question that comes up inevitably for all of us sports fans, when our team chokes and we spin into a brief, morose sadness: […]
Cold as Ice: Time for Hasty Judgments!
We’re a week into the new, short season of the NHL, but that didn’t stop fearless hockey fans Jay and Stephen from making a lot of rash judgments (Stephen more than Jay)! Should you give up on your team already? We’ll tell you now! Jay: So we’re not quite a week into the 2013 (I refuse to say 2012-13) NHL season? What are your thoughts? Stephen: So far, so good! There has been a lot of balance among teams so […]
Cold As Ice: 2013 NHL Season Preview (It’s An East Coast-West Coast Thing)
Editor’s note: Popblerd’s hockey scribes Jay Kumar and Stephen Mapes are happy to be back writing about the NHL. On the eve of the start of an abbreviated season, Jay and Stephen chat about what to expect and make some bold predictions. Jay: So Stephen, here we sit in mid-January with a 48-game season about to start. How are you feeling about the NHL right now? Excited or still pissed off over the lockout? Stephen: Honestly, until I sat down […]