Fur Hockey Gloves…Yes I Said Fur!

As part of our worst hockey equipment ever made series, we present to you a pair of fur hockey gloves!

We are not sure what inspired these gloves, manufactured by a company called Rinky, but they certainly deserve recognition as part of our worst hockey equipment series.

They apparently retail for about $39.99 and are geared toward female hockey players.

Coming in as a close second to the fur gloves are these pink gloves made by Eagle.

Canadian Women Capture Gold, Drink and Smoke On Ice

The following is a guest report from Laura Borden, sent directly following the Olympic Women’s Gold Medal game between Canada and The United States. Enjoy.

As a child, I wanted to be the first woman in the NHL, but my parents wouldn’t let me play hockey. When I was young, girls didn’t play hockey. And my Dad was a dentist. He didn’t want me to lose any teeth. I should probably thank him for that. Now, Olympic commercials don’t just show little girls in skating dresses – the little girls are on skates with ponytails hanging out of their helmets and sticks in their hands.

I’m proud to see women playing the sport that I love, as corny as that sounds. I watch a lot of NHL games and have really enjoyed being able to see the women get some time on TV. They are tough, skillful, and talented. I didn’t particularly like seeing some of the extremely lopsided games in which USA and Canada dominated, but it was all an exciting setup for the gold medal game.

Nothing Like Being There In Person!

Everything came to a grand finale today at the big game. USA vs. Canada. Neither team had been tested up to this point. Each game was won by at least six goals and as many as 18. But this was a true battle. I wish that all hockey games had the excitement of this one. The women fought for every puck, playing for the pride of their countries, and for the sport. The Canadian men’s team sat high above the ice to support the women.

Almost as exciting as the play on the ice was the action off the ice, on the way to the arena and in the stands. Unlike most NHL games, nearly every fan held a flag for their country. The crowd was knowledgeable and glued to every second of the game. Above all, the crowd was for the most part amicable and gracious to its opponents. Everyone was appreciative of the effort put out by both teams, regardless of the outcome.

I also found that the fans around me were pleasant and friendly. They asked where I was from and everyone talked about their favorite players. This was definitely not like a Flyers fan sitting next to a Rangers fan. I didn’t hesitate wearing my USA flag hat down the street as I left the venue. The Canadians give me a bit of a sympathetic look, but I still have the USA sticker on the my face, and I’m not forgetting about the men’s win earlier in the week, and a possible rematch for the gold.

Despite their strong performance, the USA women were noticeably dejected after the game, forcing to smile as they were given their silver medals and flower bouquets. They should be proud of themselves. They gave up two early goals and were able to shut down the unstoppable Canadians for the rest of the game. Unfortunately they couldn’t capitalize on two five-on-three man advantages and were unable to get past goalie Shannon Szabados. The netminder stopped all 28 USA shots to steal the game.

The Future of Women’s Hockey

On the other hand, the bronze-medal winning Finnish team exuded happiness as they paraded onto the ice for the victory ceremony. They battled against Sweden in an overtime 3-2 match. The third-place game showed that hockey isn’t just for USA and Canada and there will be contenders in the future, as long as the sports is preserved as an Olympic sports.

USA defender Angela Ruggiero was recently named to the IOC Athletes’ Commission. The Harvard graduate will surely fight to keep women’s hockey in the Games, despite the perception of a lack of parity in the sport. The lopsided games leading up to the gold medal matchup probably didn’t help her cause, but if the Finland/Sweden game was any indication of the women’s hockey for the future, there are only good things to come.

Too Much Public Celebration?

It’s a shame that the victory was blemished by the alleged inappropriate Canadian team’s celebration after the game. An investigation has been launched to look into the team drinking beer and champagne, and smoking cigars on the ice. I am not against a victory celebration, but the women were still wearing their uniforms with their gold medals around their necks. The women represent the host country and should be setting an example for the young girls who are watching them, as I wasn’t able to do as a child.

You can check out more from Laura at her Olympics Blog

Video: Ole Kristian Tollefsen Hits Lubos Bartecko

In one of the scariest moments in hockey since Clint Malarchuk’s throat was cut by a skate, Slovakia’s Lubos Bartecko lost his helmet and struck his head on the ice following a vicious elbow from Norway’s Tollefsen.  A massive amount of blood began leaking from the back of Bartecko’s head as training staff rushed onto the ice to treat him. A frightening moment in what has been a rather exciting Olympic hockey tournamanet thus far.

The good news is that Bartecko is said to be recovering and not suffering from any major injuries, but did suffer a concussion on the play and is not supposed to be in the lineup on Wednesday.

The bad news is that the barrage of checks to the head continues from NHL players this season (Tollefsen is property of the Detroit Red Wings).

I think Puck Daddy wrapped it up best here:

Tollefsen received 25 minutes in penalties, including a match penalty for “Checking to the Head and Neck Area” and a five-minute major during which Michal Handzus(notes) and Marian Gaborik(notes) scored for Slovakia. It was a reprehensible head shot from the recent Detroit Red Wings acquisition.

Why Hockey Is The Gold Standard Of The Olympics

I don’t make many concessions when it comes to sports. I’m a hockey fan. Everything else is tertiary. Seriously. There is no second or third place. Hockey is the most exciting sport on ice or earth. Give me pre-season, regular season or the playoffs; everything else just melts in comparison.

I’m in ‘like’ with the Summer Olympics. Sure, I enjoy watching the swimming medley and Table Tennis but the whole spectacle lost its luster after the last Tug of War in 1920. The balance beam and the Dream Team just don’t add up to “Must See TV” for me.

It’s ironic, I must admit. I hate the cold. No matter how many layers I have on, I shiver like a toy poodle on a mild day. I don’t like the snow; I prefer the surf and sand. I’m just a beach bum. Explain, then, why I love the Winter Olympics. Explain why I love hockey?

Hockey is to the Winter Olympics as the Empire State Building is to New York, the Eiffel Tower to Paris, the Stratosphere in Las Vegas. It would make the Winter Games unrecognizable, unimportant. Some could even argue that Olympic hockey is superior to the Stanley Cup Playoffs! After all, the players haven’t endured an 82 game season. They’re fresh. They’re hungry. For some, this will be their only chance at a title, medal or championship of any kind. Some have even come out of retirement for these Olympic games.

Watching some of these games I get a flashback to the mid-nineties with Jagr (and his mullet), Teemu, Lidstrom, Fedorov … The only guys missing, it seems, are Lindros and Bure. The level of play, in almost every game, is unparalleled.

The Importance of Hockey to The Olympics

There is a reason why the Winter Games close with the Gold Medal hockey game. There’s a reason why the NHL suspends the season for the Olympics. There’s a reason why there is no All-Star game this year. Every game is the All-Star game. Every team is an All-Star team.

This isn’t just the Olympics, this is All-Star Week. We’re watching the Puck Control Relay, the Fastest Skater, Hardest Shot, Breakaway Challenge and Elimination Shootout. We’re watching the playoffs. We’re watching the Stanley Cup finals. We’re watching the culmination of careers and dreams. The hopes of countries that often don’t get to show their national pride on a global stage. Finland, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Slovakia all get to wave their flags and scream until they’re hoarse. They’ve got a shot at gold in hockey and that only comes once every four years at best.

There’s something distinctly different about Olympic hockey. It’s not that the players grew up as neighbors or that they speak the same language; it’s not the common hatred for neighboring nations: it’s pride, patriotism and passion at its purest.

This past Sunday we witnessed one of the best days of hockey I can remember. The Czech Republic lost a battle versus Russia. The United States played their hearts out, beating the home team, Canada, in a frenetic fight. Bitter rivals Sweden and Finland clashed in a hard-hitting and emotional, albeit one-sided, game. And, that was just Sunday.

Forget March Madness. Forget the Super Bowl. Forget baseball and basketball (as if you had to). This is it. We’re spoiled rotten. We have the best trophy in professional sports, the best Olympic event regardless of season, the best sport and the best athletes. We’re spoiled rotten as hockey fans and we want more.

Hockey may have lost its spot on network television but it hasn’t lost its edge, its passion, its heart or its place in our living room. No matter what channel or time it is on, I’ll certainly be tuned in to each game from here on out.

Hockey is the gold standard in Olympic competition. There are three rewards to be had but silver and bronze are hardly consolations. Gold is why these players are here and hockey’s got it. Especially at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

This article was a contribution to NHL Digest by David Weiner. David is a Social Media Communications guru and hockey fanatic. When he’s not jet setting around the globe giving presentations, you can find him professing his love for the sport on Twitter – @davidweiner

Who Was The First American Born Captain To Win The Stanley Cup?

This achievement belongs to Derian Hatcher who won the Stanley Cup as a captain of the Dallas Stars in 1999. Hatcher started his career with the Stars some 10 years earlier after being drafted by the then Minnesota North Stars in the 1990 NHL Entry draft.

Hatcher is famous for his massive physique (height of 6 ft5 and weight of 235 lbs) and physically punishing style that made him one of the most fearsome defensemen in the league.

Hatcher scored in his first game as a Minnesota North Star on October 12, 1991 in a 3-2 win against the Detroit Red Wings. He continued to dominate the Stars’ blueline even after the move to Dallas, contributing 1,380 penalty minutes, 223 assists and 71 goals during his career with the Stars.

The hulking blueliner signed a $30 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings in 2003, but did not have much success in Detroit, having his contract bought out in 2005. Later in 2005 he became a member of the Philadelphia Flyers and went on to become an interim captain for the Flyers a year later.

Hatcher was also part of the US national hockey team for most of his career and even participated in two Olympic Games, suiting up for Team USA in 1998 and 2006.

After suffering a severe knee injury during the 2008-09 NHL season, Derian Hatcher announced his retirement in June 2009. Hatcher is currently a player development coach for the Philadelphia Flyers, the place where he ended his National Hockey League career.

Olympic Preview: Canada Vs. USA

Greetings NHL Digest readers, this is an Olympic Hockey guest article from Chris Wassel of The Program.

All plugging aside, tonight we have one of the most highly anticipated games in some time as the USA and Canada get together to determine the winner of Group A.

The USA has 6 points via a 6-1 victory over Norway and 3-1 win over Switzerland while Canada has 5 points (3-2 SO win over the Swiss and 8-0 win over Norway).  Goal differential will not matter as the winner of this game wins the Group and locks up the bye for sure while the other awaits their fate.

The interesting thing is mostly everyone you talk to says the obvious.  All the pressure is on Canada and I mean ALL OF IT!  Even Brian Burke has acknowledged as such and thanks to Greg Wyshynski, we have it in print.

“We’re the enemy tomorrow. It’s going to be a hostile, crazy crowd for Canada, and that’s the way it ought to be,” he said. “It’ll be a zoo in here. An important part of being a successful team is for our team to manage that.”

“As tough as that might be on our young players, the pressure’s not on our team tomorrow. The pressure’s on Canada.”

Needless to say the first goal matters among other circumstances as well.  I also wanted to thank the fine folks from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette for all of their help as well in their live chats throughout the Olympics.  Ghostwalker40, Seth, and all the gang have been a class act and have provided some amazingly timely information and commentary as well.

Patriotism is running high on both sides ladies and gentlemen.  Just look around at all the gathering places for games across the USA and Canada and that just speaks volumes.  On a day where normally NASCAR would be shown at bars, there are hockey parties everywhere. For example we will be doing the podcast from my house tomorrow with some heavy beer drinkers accompanying us.  It should be a raucous atmosphere.  I can only imagine what it will be like in Vancouver.

Enough of the pleasantries kids, it is time to get into the Brass Tacks of this.

Offense

Canada definitely has the edge of offense.  Mike Babcock has the Sharks first line of Marleau-Thornton-Selanne Heatley.  That genuinely trumps whatever the US can put together for a first line no matter who it is whether it be Kane-Parise-Langenbrunner or even Kane-Kessel-Pavelski.  Most would take Canada’s offensive defensemen (Boyle and Niedermayer) over the USA’s defensemen (Rafalski, Johnson) for two way play.  However, the US may have a surprise with guys like Callahan and Drury on the fourth line.  Do not underestimate Chris Drury in a game like this.  Canada can keep it coming with the likes of Sidney Crosby, Rick Nash, and Jarome Iginla among others.  At some point, you think Canada will get it going but 2006 was a lot like this too.  Canada has the advantage here.

Defense

It would appear Canada has the upper hand here too.  Team USA has a bit of a deficiency on defense and that has been exploited from time to time in the first two games.  I do like the way Jack Johnson and Brian Rafalski play and all but dare I say that Paul Martin would have been nice to have had on Team USA.  Canada has Dan Boyle and Scott Niedermayer along with Chris Pronger and Drew Doughty.  I would likely take Pronger over Orpik just because Pronger has more offensive upside especially on the man advantage.  I know the blue line warriors on neither side have actually set the world on fire (aside from Rafalski) but you have the feeling that one will make the difference in this tilt.  I still give a slight advantage to Team Canada but not by much.

Goaltending

Ryan Miller (USA) versus Martin Brodeur (CAN).  Not much more needs to be said here. Before their teams started slumping in January and February, Miller and Brodeur were pretty much the two best goalies in the NHL.  On the surface, Martin Brodeur would have a huge advantage.  He has won three Stanley Cups and a Gold Medal for Canada.  Ryan Miller, however, has a pretty good career mark against Brodeur.  The players may not be the same but Ryan Miller has been outstanding at times in the first two games.  He has to be at that level the entire game against Canada while Brodeur has to be steady and make the spectacular save occasionally to rarely.  That is the difference in these two squads.

Pressure Factor

Team Canada clearly has it.  Winning on home ice is a MUST!  Losing here would send a sour taste going into the next round.

Prediction

I stand by this one although it seems it may not go OT.  Team USA carries a 2-1 lead into the third but Crosby strikes on the PP and then Iginla wins it in the shootout.  Canada 3  USA 2 (SO)

What are your predictions for the Canada vs. USA clash?

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