As mentioned, earlier this week, we were cordially invited to host the weekly/bi-weekly Carnival Of The NHL, which we were honored to do, mainly because we need to brush up on our hockey, a sport we struggle with sometimes because the Cardinals don't play it.
So here's the edition for this week — with a Carnival Cruise Line-esque photo of Kathie Lee Gifford along for the ride, just for poops and giggles — which hopefully will focus on the best hockey posts of the week while not betraying our relative ignorance on the topic.
We apologize in advance. Enjoy the goodness after the jump.
All right. We're gonna go in chronological order, because that's the way time works, and we try to follow the passing of time here. Otherwise you get caught up in one of those wormholes, and that's just all kinds of trouble. We're gonna point out the posts on the day we received them, because that keeps our heads straight.
First up: Monday. The Ice Block looks at the "instigation rule" and how it was (or wasn't) applied to Ottawa's Zdeno Chara. (Or, as Jon Stewart pronounced it last week, "OHHHH-TAAAH-WA.") Peter DeWolf hammered home a repeated athlete run-in story that would be even more impressive Steve Shutt would have had some groupies with him. And finally, StarStruck lets you know that if you bet against Mike Modano, you're a freaking fool.
Hey, who's up for some Tuesday? Who's with us? The indeflatable Shari Forst — who has the very fun job this year of tracking the surprising New York Rangers — looks at a weekend win over Minnesota and takes the time to do some ref-bashing. And On The Wings gave a big virtual hug to Steve Yzerman for announcing he would not play for the Olympic team next year. Gettin' old, Steve; happens to the best of us, save for maybe morning weathermen.
This is our Wednesday. There are many like it, but this one is OURS. Our Wednesday is our best friend. Japers' Rink details their ultimate hockey roadtrip, a roadtrip that kicks any road trip we've ever been a part of, except for that time we drove across the country to meet Hunter S. Thompson, which, we swear to God, is absolutely true. James Mirtle must have known the Carnival was being hosted by us this week; he obliged us with a nice juicy post about Elisha Cuthbert.
Little Bunny Thursday, hopping through the forest, scoopin' up the field mice and boppin' 'em on the head ... Kuklas' Korner tells fans that if they want instant gratification, they can watch baseball, the NFL or the NBA. Sorry, dude, not much there either. Harking back to Stevie Y, he had one day this week, says the Bleacher Guy, when he looked like the guy we all loved. Puck Update took a look at the Flyers' injury situation and immediately upgraded his HMO to the point that basic prescription drugs now cost him only $5,000. (You should move to Canada, Steve.) Last week's host Hockey Dirt went all pissy-like on Mario Lemieux, making an excellent point that the former perm-mulletted one shouldn't use undue influence to get Sidney Crosby on the Olympic team. You thought The Day After Tomorrow was scary? You should see what global warming is doing to outdoor hockey rinks, says Odd Man Rush. Finally, the Canucks Hockey Blog tells fans to step down off the ledge and take a deep breath, while Off Wing Opinion correspondent Joe Tasca follows the aftermath of a solid coach-announcer tussle.
And there you go. We hope we didn't screw this up too badly. Thanks to Eric McErlain at Off Wing for encouraging us to do this, and we promise to do better next time, were you all silly enough to ask us. Peace out, soul sisters.
Carnival Of The NHL No. 14 [Hockey Dirt]