Herb Brooks Miracle Speech

Because it never gets old...

Minnesota All Hockey Hair Team

If this is indeed the last year, it is a shame, as it's his best video yet:

Puck Goes Off Ref's Nuts, Into Goal

Really:



I can pretty much guarantee that ref had a damn hard time fitting into normal pants for a while.

That poor guy...

Longest Hockey Pass

Because when it is flipping cold up here in Detroit Lakes, what else are you going to do?

2018 Hockey Hair Team

It's that time again when we pay homage to the salad and the flow.  Enjoy:

2017 Minnesota All Hockey Hair Team

This year's installment of an appreciation of all things flow:

Kid Gets Hockey Face-Wash

The smile on this kid's face at the end is priceless:

Hockey. Beer. Kiss Cam. What Could Go Wrong?

Yeah, I know it is likely staged, but it's still damned funny:

White Bear Mitsubishi Gopher Commercial

Whoever the guy is in the bear suit, he's not being paid nearly enough:

2016 Minnesota High School Hockey All Hair Team

This year's awards are in, and the results continue to be stunning.

Keep the flow going, Minnesota pucksters...

Stillwater Spin-O-Rama

The Spin-O-Rama is a deadly hockey move.  So deadly, in fact, that the NHL has banned it from penalty shots.  But if a player can pull in off in regular play, bully for him.  

That takes us to Minnesota's 4AA section final, where rivals Hill Murray and Stillwater were mired in an overtime time.  Next goal wins.

As it turns out, what a goal it was:


Somewhere I hope Dennis Savard is smiling broadly.

Hockey Teddy Bear Toss

In Calgary, the Hitmen are a major junior hockey team with a significant following.  They've produced multiple NHL players, and have won a couple of championships.

They've also done wonders for charity.

At their annual "Teddy Bear Toss" game, the team encourages fans to bring a new teddy bear to the game and to throw it on the ice upon the home team scoring their first goal.  The bears are then collected and donated to children in need, hospitals, and the like.

It is one of the most popular games of the season, and attracted a sell out crowd.

And 28,000 stuffed animals:

  

Incredible Story of Child Abuse

Former NHL player Patrick O'Sullivan has penned an incredible story of his life of abuse at the hands of his father, who was set on toughening his kid up to make the NHL.  It is incredibly well written, and shocking.  

Here's his learned conclusion about not staying silent and doing something when potential abuse is witnessed:

If you are wrong, that’s the absolute best case scenario. The alternative is that child is a prisoner in his own home. What you’re seeing in the parking lot or outside the locker room — whether it’s a kid getting grabbed and screamed at, or shoved up against a car — could just be the tip of the iceberg.

It’s so ironic, because the hockey community loves to talk about toughness and courage. In that world, courage is supposed to mean standing in front of a slap shot without flinching, or taking your lumps in a fight.

But that’s easy. That’s not real courage. Anybody can do that.

I guarantee you there’s hundreds of kids across North America who will get dressed for hockey this weekend with their stomach turning, thinking the same thing I did as a kid:

“I better play really good there, or tonight is going to be really bad.”


It just takes one person to act on their instinct and stand up for that child. That’s real courage. The kind we don’t always glorify in the hockey world.

I encourage you to read the whole thing here.

Minnesota's Best Athlete?

Occasionally I'll get sucked in by one of those stupid "click aggregator" sites.  Oh, you know the ones: They'll usually have some outrageous list or scantily dressed woman and the headline "You won't believe what happens next!"

I usually have enough fortitude to put off clicking on them, but if something really gets my curiosity, I'll weakly wade into it.  That was the case last week when presented with a list of "The Best Athlete by State."

For Minnesota, my first thought was, to me, the obvious choice (we'll get to that in a second).  As I waded through each state alphabetically (cranking up the clicks that the site owner will attempt to justify as value for their advertisers) , I finally made it to my home state and found that they had selected Kevin McHale.

Wait, what?  Kevin McHale?  WRONG!

For me, the obvious choice was Dave Winfield.  Consider the following achievements:

• 1973 college world series MVP (as a pitcher!)
• Drafted by four different pro teams in three different sports
• College baseball Hall of Fame
• 12 time MLB All Star
• 7 time MLB Gold Glove
• 6 time Silver Slugger
• MLB World Champion
• MLB Hall of Fame

It doesn't get much more athletic than that.

That got me to thinking as to who else could have been considered Minnesota's best ever athlete (beyond, of course, Kevin McHale).  There are a lot of great athletes that have done very well, but none stack up to Winfield, with the exception of one.

A compelling case can be made for Roseu's Neil Broten.  Consider his bona fides:

• NCAA hockey champion
• Hobey Baker award
• Olympic gold metal winner with 1980 Miracle on Ice
• NHL World Champion
• 2 time NHL All Star
• US Hockey Hall of Fame

While Broten does get close, Winfield is still too much a stud to not be considered the clear winner here.  

The only thing that gets  Broten closer is that he is one of the few in the NHL that kicked Wayne Gretzky's ass.

Look out with who you're messing with, Great One:

Minnesota High School Hockey All Hair Team

This could possibly be the best thing you see all day.  Enjoy:

Canadian Class

A couple of nights ago, the Detroit Red Wings were visiting the Maple Leafs in Toronto, and as custom, before the puck gets dropped both the US and Canadian national anthems were played.  Unfortunately on this night the singer's microphone cut out toward the end of the US anthem.  

Check out how our friends to the north handled the situation:



I guess this should not come as a surprise.  As a hockey fan, I've always sung the Canadian anthem at the Minnesota home games, and have done so since I was a kid.  I know others do as well, hence this response seems appropriate.

Regardless, it still was a classy thing to do.  Hats off to you, Leafs fans.

The Most Unexpected End to a Hockey Fight, Ever

From the Canadian minor leagues come two heavyweights to duke it out, goon versus goon, just like the unwritten hockey rules dictate.

Both appear to be trained pugilists.  Both throw and weather massive shots in what was a very even match.  Then the refs step in, and then...

  

It just goes to show the code of the goons, and that the jobs they perform on their icy patrol aren't always personal.  They are just that - jobs.

Social Media Feeds the Narcissistic Beast

In a recent high school hockey game in Minnesota, the goalie from Farmington, getting a rare start on Senior Night, displays his displeasure on how he was treated throughout the season by doing the following:

• Scoring on his own goal (thus tying the game, which Farmington lost in OT)
• Flipping off his coaches
• Skating off the ice and quitting

See video below for the event:

The goalie gave a heads up to some of his friends on his intentions so that it could be filmed and shared.

I get that kids are stupid and do stupid things.  But it seems that social media magnifies stupidity, and gives those that feel self-important more fuel to feed their narcissistic fire.  And that's because they're rewarded.

Be it the positive comments this goalie received in the comments section of YouTube, or an entire legion of people socially cheering on mass-murderer Christopher Dorner, social media justifies the bad behavior of the self important.  Regardless of how repugnant one's actions, there will always be some out there in social media land to cheer them on.

My prediction is that we've only seen just the very beginnings of what ultimately will have a very significant impact on our society.

Most Creative Hockey Penalty Shot Ever

The "how's she goin'?" move is a hockey staple, but I've not seen it executed on a penalty shot before, especially so effectively.

I love this

Hockey Day in Minnesota

Man, this makes me homesick...