Happy holidays, everyone! It’s been a wonderful time with family (time that’s going to keep this post rather short), but in the spirit of giving (and okay, possibly just to gloat), I thought this week I’d share my Christmas gift of the year with you all: a visit to see my favorite Pittsburgh Penguins play a home game at the new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA. Now in its second year, Consol feels far more in the heart of […]
Cold as Ice
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 […]
Cold as Ice: Of Hits and Heads and Player Safety
Chris Pronger has become this year’s Sidney Crosby, and unfortunately that doesn’t have anything to do with his scoring prowess or performance on the ice. No, Pronger has become this year’s highest profile player to have a season cut incredibly short by post-concussion syndrome, the thorn in the side of the NHL. He’s not alone in his suffering; teammate Claude Giroux is sidelined for head trauma as well, and Crosby has found his way back into the realm of the […]
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.
Cold as Ice: Bye Bye, Boudreau (and Hello Again)
Maybe I am just a bit out of touch with the political climate of the NHL, but Bruce Boudreau’s dismissal from the Washington Capitals took me wholly by surprise. I was aware things were less than rosy at the Verizon Center over the past months, as the hot 7-0 start that led many speculate this would be the year of Ovi quickly spiraled into a 5-10-1 record over the next 17 games. Furthermore, big scorers Ovechkin and Semin simply weren’t […]
Cold as Ice: Cautious Optimism in Toronto
These are strange days for Toronto Maple Leafs fans. A quarter of the way through the season, the Leafs are near the top of their division and boast the NHL’s leading scorer in Phil Kessel. And most of this was done with top goalie James Reimer out with “concussion-like symptoms.” Still, if you’re a long-suffering Leaf fan like I am, you’re not getting overly excited just yet. After all, this is a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since the […]
Cold as Ice: Shanahan-a-dingdong
NHL rule enforcer Brendan Shanahan is the subject of this week’s Cold As Ice column!
Cold As Ice: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Nearly every NHL game ever played has taken place in a hockey arena, which makes the annual Winter Classic outdoor game such a big deal. Ever since the league first held the Winter Classic in 2008 (five years after staging an outdoor game in Edmonton) between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, the New Year’s Day event has been a ratings and headline grabber. This year’s game will take place on January 2 (avoiding a conflict with NFL games on 1/1) at Philadelphia’s […]
Cold as Ice: Waiting for the Next Great One
Phil Kessel is off to a crazy good start this season and a big reason the Toronto Maple Leafs are holding on in the top of their division. His league leading 10 goals and 20 points puts him on pace for a 70/140 season if he keeps it up, which would make him the highest point getter in a season since Mario Lemieux’s 1995 season. Kessel stands above a crowd that includes superstars like Ovechkin and the Sedin twins (and […]
Cold as Ice: Suffer for Fashion
There are many things I love about hockey: The speed, the power, the skill. But another aspect that I really dig is the hockey jersey. It’s the coolest uniform in sports, without a doubt. It’s not that I don’t like gear from the other big team sports, but the hockey jersey (or sweater, if you’re old school) has it all over them. There’s just something inherently impressive about the look of a jersey, whether it’s that game-worn Steve Yzerman one […]
Cold as Ice: Hot Starts and Cool Chaos
As if often the case, the first two weeks of the NHL season have been rife with some early surprises. Several stalwarts from last year have shown some early signs of trouble, while a few of last year’s whipping posts have been flashing some signs of hope for their fan bases. For anyone who loves good hockey, these are things to be excited about, even if you know deep down in side they probably aren’t going to last. Fans of […]
Cold As Ice 01: Shaken, Not Stirred
Cold as Ice is Popblerd’s new weekly hockey column, authored by Jay Kumar and Stephen Mapes. This week, Jay takes a look at the NHL’s plans for realignment. Now that the new NHL season is underway, it’s a great time to look ahead to next season. Specifically, the 30-team league plans to realign its divisions next year. Currently, the league is split into two conferences with three divisions each. The move of the Atlanta Thrashers to Winnipeg happened too late […]