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 [...]
Cold As Ice: They’re Baaaaaaaack!
Popblerd’s hockey column returns as Jay Kumar looks at the resolution of the NHL lockout and preparations for a shortened season.
Cold as Ice: The Lockout Blues
Our worst fears as hockey fans have come true: the looming NHL lockout has become a real NHL lockout. Faithful hockey nuts Stephen and Jay return for a new season of Cold as Ice with their thoughts on the ordeal. Stephen A part of me wants to imagine that Gary Bettman has at least picked up the fiddle as he sits around watching the NHL burn this time. To his credit, the man has turned the NHL into a multi-billion [...]
Cold As Ice: The End Is In Sight
As the Stanley Cup Final takes a break for a few days, the Los Angeles Kings lead 3-1 over the New Jersey Devils as the series goes back to NJ. Our hockey correspondents Stephen Mapes and Jay Kumar discuss the last week of action as well as some other recent developments in the NHL. Jay: So when we left off last week, the Kings had beaten the Devils in overtime in game 1 of the Stanley Cup final. It looked [...]
Cold as Ice: Racing Towards the Cup
It’s take us two months, but the Stanley Cup Finals are upon us. The Popblerd ice squad of Jay and Stephen have been following through it all, and now it all comes down to this. East vs. West. Quick vs. Brodeur. The Freeway vs. the Turnpike. Who will win? And how many more catchy ways can we describe this match-up! Find out, as we talk predictions, celebrities, and breakdown the Kings and Devils. Jay: So here we are, two periods [...]
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