Might It Possibly Be OK If We Kick Some Ass?: Why the world finds Canada's quest for Olympic gold strange and adorable.

posted by mkn to olympics at 03:20 PM - 20 comments

Clint Malarchuk accidentally shoots self in the chin with a rifle: Best for having his throat slashed by a skate, he is recovering in hospital despite refusing help from paramedics. This man must be unbreakable.

posted by mkn to hockey at 04:29 PM - 4 comments

Iconic ace Darvish pushes Japan’s boundaries

posted by mkn to baseball at 12:42 PM - 2 comments

Legendary Canadian sportscaster Don Wittman dies.: A sports broadcasting renaissance man that covered any and every sport around, from NHL hockey on HNIC and international hockey to the Grey Cup to curling, but he will forever be known as the voice of Canadian olympic track gold.

posted by mkn to culture at 05:33 PM - 6 comments

Ice Hockey gets its own Champions League: : the Victoria Cup. Beginning 2008, the IIHF plans on hosting an annual exhibition series between the top three European teams and an NHL franchise. A likely alternative to that quiet but old topic: NHL European expansion

posted by mkn to hockey at 08:30 PM - 12 comments

Wendel Clark is Barry Melrose's cousin : according to Wikipedia's "List of Family Relations in NHL". There's also the List of second generation Major League Baseball players and many other random lists of sportspeople.

posted by mkn to other at 01:53 PM - 8 comments

Yzerman to call it quits: The HHOF awaits. Also, Pronger to wear one of those new Ducks uniforms.

posted by mkn to hockey at 11:46 AM - 33 comments

Luongo traded for Bertuzzi: The NHL season might be over, but that doesn't mean that the action has stopped. In advance of the NHL Draft, "the Panthers have confirmed that they acquired Todd Bertuzzi, Bryan Allen and Alexander Auld from the Canucks in exchange for Roberto Luongo and Lukas Krajicek and a 2006 sixth round pick." Hindsight will determine who the trade "winner" was, but for this season, Vancouver has vastly improved. (But what happens to Cloutier now?)

posted by mkn to hockey at 10:45 PM - 18 comments

Islanders expected to hire Ted Nolan: He previously said that he wanted back into the NHL and it looks like his time has come. qbert72 called it.

posted by mkn to hockey at 09:01 PM - 7 comments

NHL Playoffs Pick'em Final Round: Going into the final series, DrJohnEvans continues to lead despite having worse (marginally) picks than second place ajaffe (those stray game picks help the Dr.) Make your picks for the final round, CAR vs EDM, here. Also, for bonus kudos (but no points), pick the Conn Smythe winner.

posted by mkn to fantasy at 09:54 PM - 47 comments

NHL Playoffs Round 3 pick 'em: Round two is over, and only Anaheim, Edmonton, Carolina and Buffalo (who'd have predicted that??) are left. The current leaderboard. Make your conference final picks inside:

posted by mkn to fantasy at 11:19 PM - 31 comments

Bonspiel! The History of Curling in Canada: Bonspiel! explores the history and cultural impact of curling from the sport's mysterious 16th-century origins to the present day. The story of curling in Canada is interpreted under chronological themes that relate the history of curling to the playing surface of the game itsel

posted by mkn to other at 10:42 AM - 3 comments

NHL Playoffs Pick'em Round 2: Leaderboard after round 1. There's less than two days until the second round begins, so make your picks now. More inside:

posted by mkn to fantasy at 10:02 AM - 109 comments

8th Seeded Oilers knock out the President's Trophy winning Red Wings 4-2: . For just the 4th time since 1967, the #1 seed is eliminated in the first round. Is this the end of Legacy's time in Detroit and was this Yzerman's last game?

posted by mkn to hockey at 03:04 AM - 42 comments

2006 NHL Playoffs Pick-em Update: Half of the series' are over, and the updated leaderboard shows that only two players have been perfect with their series winner picks thus far: billsaysthis and WeedyMcSmokey. The quest for (winner) perfection will come down to Carolina vs Montreal.

posted by mkn to fantasy at 10:52 PM - 46 comments

2006 NHL Playoffs Pick-Em!: The teams are determined, the matchups are set -- time to see who is the Premier Playoff Prognosticator. Match-ups inside.

posted by mkn to fantasy at 09:50 PM - 97 comments

Crosby becomes the youngest player to record 100 points: and becomes just the seventh rookie to reach that mark, behind Ovechkin just last week. Yet, Ovechkin remains the runaway Calder favourite -- should Crosby be re-evaluated? Should the age difference be a factor? Or is Phaneuf overlooked because of his position? Whatever the debate, there's no arguing that this was the NHL's best ever rookie crop.

posted by mkn to hockey at 09:44 PM - 29 comments

"Lucky" Luc Robitaille retires: and leaves a quiet 10th on the all-time goals list.

posted by mkn to hockey at 11:08 AM - 19 comments

Who dares jumps: "The ski jumps of Calgary in Canada, once the preserve of Olympic athletes, could soon be open to tourists. Charles Starmer-Smith describes how he boldly went where Eddie 'The Eagle' Edwards had been before."

posted by mkn to other at 03:51 PM - 2 comments

Sudden Surprise: Penguins' Zigmund Palfy retires, leaving behind a $13.5 million contract. The way the season is going for the Pens, perhaps they're wishing that Gonchar, with his $25 million, is going to retire too. Thankfully, that leaves them with enough cap room to acquire... Eric Cairns?

posted by mkn to hockey at 05:09 PM - 18 comments

More Pro Teams Starting Own TV Networks : "There's only so many tickets that you can sell and there's only so much that you can do" to make money, he said. "There's pressure on all sides of it and eventually they get to the television side of it."

posted by mkn to general at 10:21 PM - 5 comments

Cuba denied participation in World Baseball Classic: "Generally speaking, the Cuba embargo prohibits entering into contracts in which Cuba or Cuban nationals have an interest."

posted by mkn to baseball at 11:09 PM - 42 comments

Red Wings' Jiri Fisher collapses during a game: which, rightly, was cancelled. It was a scary moment but he should be OK in the end. ESPN looks at other NHL on-ice scares, which comes not long after our recent discussion about on-field (and on ice-injuries). (Though ESPN did forgot Kevin Stevens' injury.)

posted by mkn to hockey at 12:35 AM - 17 comments

Finally! Game on, eh? : "Canadians get their beloved hockey back tomorrow." In honour of the return, NHL Power Rankings and Stanley Cup win odds, for all argumentation and (legal!) betting needs.

posted by mkn to hockey at 12:02 PM - 35 comments

Gonchar goes to the Pens: Oilers acquire Pronger. Amonte to the Flames. Foote in Columbus. After a slow start, the free agent market heats up for, seemingly, everyone but the Leafs. As usual, there are many (improbable) rumours but little truth - Naslund is staying put.

posted by mkn to hockey at 10:35 AM - 53 comments