KHL…….In Mother Russia Hockey Plays YOU!

With the forming of a new "super league", the KHL in Russia, many players are being lured away from the NHL with the promise of high, tax free, salaries in Russia. However there have been plenty of horror stories being leaked out of Russia regarding this new league. Rumors of MOB involvement are rampant in the hockey world, even stories of players being threatened by mobsters for having bad games. I say good for the MOB, they have been successful at attracting NHL talent like Jeff Jillson (R.I. Native) and Ray Emery, not to mention the superstar, Czech Born, Jaromir Jagr. The KHL is making a push to surpass the NHL as the best hockey league in the world, and to tell you the truth I think they have a good shot at it. In Russia Hockey is king, there is no sport that comes close to hockey when it comes to spectators. Hockey in the United states in a fourth tear sport, it falls behind baseball, basketball, and football. In Russia and other parts of Europe hockey is the number one spectator sport and they are able to attract a far broader fan base. The old USSR used to dominate hockey because Russians take the sport as if it were their religion. So, NHL players will undoubtedly begin to flock to the KHL in years to come because of high, tax free, contracts. But players beware, if you have a bad game and your next stop might be a dirt nap somewhere in Siberia under about fourteen feet of snow.

\/ Check Out this Video of the K.H.L \/

10 for fighting?......GET LOST!

This is one of the most bush league things I have heard come out of the NHL commissioner’s office since they implemented all these new hooking and holding rules that have turned the NHL into a pretty boy league. The NHL is making an effort to add an additional 5 minutes to the penalty for fighting. Currently the penalty for fighting in the NHL is 5 minutes; the additional 5 will result in a fight costing a player 10 minutes of the game. In essence you lose a player for ten minutes of a game because he went out defended his team, he gave his team the spark they needed to turn a losing effort around perhaps. Let’s face it, that is complete bush, and it will never happen. People go to a hockey game expecting physical play, and yes, a fight or two. Fighting has been a part of hockey for as long as hockey has been played and it will continue to be that way well into the future. Fighting polices the league; it assures a player will not do anything stupid because if he does he will feel the wrath of the toughest guy on the opposing team. Ask any knowledgeable hockey player and they will tell you that fighting is not only good for the game and attracting fans, but it is also necessary for the safety of all on the ice. A player cannot go around hacking and hooking others, because he runs the risk of getting into a fight and being physically punished for any dirty or irresponsible use of his stick. Do not try and turn North American hockey into European hockey, WE DON’T WANT THAT. Don't get me wrong, dangles and finesse play are fun to watch, but physical play is what makes North American Hockey the best hockey in the world. We like our fighting, our enforcers, and our tough guys who police the ice more so than the referees do. If fighting majors were to be increased to 10 minutes I GUARANTEE you will see less fights in NHL games, and thus fewer fans will watch. Some won’t watch because they liked more fighting, but even more won’t watch because the quality of the hockey being played will be terrible. With less fighting you will see more injuries to your key players, because players on opposing teams will take more liberty when they go into the corner with these superstars. Due to the fact that players run less of a risk of catching a beating, hazardous stick work and dirty checking will run rampant in the NHL. I SAY REDUCE THE PENALTY TIME FOR FIGHTING, DON’T INCREASE IT!

MSU vs. Michigan….RUMBLEEEEEE!

Michigan State University and the University of Michigan have been rivals for as long as the two respective programs have existed. However, things got a little CRAZY when the two faced off last season at MSU when a bench clearing brawl broke out. I want you to watch this video and pay attention to the two players who initially square off for a scrap. The MSU player begins the fight by speed bagging his opponent, but when the Michigan player gets loose he punches the MSU player’s mask clear off his bucket. Now we all know that fighters in the NHL don’t usually come from the college ranks, but this Michigan kid might have a shot. Watch as he is escorted off the ice but he wants more, this kid is a born fighter (or a born PSYCO)! This is not what a hockey fight is supposed to look like; this is what a total hockey disaster looks like when kids who don’t usually fight decide to mix it up. Fighting is not allowed in college hockey so there were plenty of suspensions handed down after this scrum. Man I would love to see one of these kids square off in a real fight with no cages and really go at it, beating the bag out of each other. I guess boys will be boys, and hockey players will continue to take their frustrations out on each other by means of devastating blows to the face. This tilt will go down as legendary in the college ranks, and will continue to make top ten lists for bench clearing brawls. This is what you call fighting SWAGG.

Ray Emery SWAGG

Ray Emery, former goalie for the Ottawa senators, has the filthiest goalie SWAGG in the league. Emery, Canadian born, has been playing professional hockey since he was eighteen and the man has been building on his SWAGG throughout the years. Emery has become a household name for goalies who have been trying to step up their dress game. Emery, who is playing in the KHL this year (a topic I will come back to in the future) has been turning heads off the ice, as well as on ice. It has been reported that Emery has a love for expensive cars, nice clothes, and the celebrity lifestyle. Emery, who has become known for his purchasing of luxury automobiles at a moments notice, has definitely got some SWAGG. I wonder what kind of Russian SWAGG he has over seas. My guess is that he is still whipping his yellow Lambo and spending a ridiculous amount of money on custom designed clothes. I mean if you got the money why not spend it; why not buy a $150,000 car on some odd Tuesday because the moment was right. If there is anyone out there wondering what off ice SWAGG is and why hockey players have mastered SWAGG, just take a look at Ray Emery. Emery's SWAGG is only matched by his reputation is a complete loose cannon and a tough goalie. I mean when you are a goalie and have been involved in four on ice fights and one fight in practice that landed you a two game suspension, you got tough guy SWAGG as well. Ask Snoop Dog, he knows.

Emery has SWAGG.

Top Five Hockey Movies of All-Time

1. Slapshot

A failing ice hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games.

2. Youngblood

A skilled young hockey prospect hoping to attract the attention of professional scouts is pressured to show that he can fight if challenged during his stay in a Canadian minor hockey town. His on-ice activities are complicated by his relationship with the coach's daughter.

3. Mighty Ducks I

Gordon Bombay, a hotshot lawyer, is haunted by memories of his childhood, when, as the star player in his champion hockey team, he missed the winning goal in a shootout; thereby losing the game, and the approval of his coach. After being charged for drunk driving, the court orders him to coach a peewee hockey team, which happens to be the worst in the league. Bombay who was reluctant at first, eventually gains the respect of the kids and teaches them how to win, gaining a sponsor on the way and giving the team the name of The Ducks. In the finals, they face Gordon's old team, coached by Gordon's old coach, giving Gordon a chance to face old ghosts.

4. The Rocket

In the late 1930s, a young machinist named Maurice Richard distinguished himself as a ice hockey player of preternatural talent. Although that was enough to get him a roster spot on the Montreal Canadians, his frequent injuries cost him the confidence of his team and the fans. In the face of these doubts, Richard eventually shows the kind of aggressive and skillful play that would make him one of the greatest players of all time and he would be dubbed "The Rocket." However, for all his success, Richard and his fellow French Canadians face constant discrimination in a league dominated by the English speaking. Although a man of few words, Richard begins to speak his own mind about the injustice which creates a organizational conflict that would culminate in his infamous 1955 season suspension that sparked an ethnic riot in protest. In the face of these challenges, Richard must decide who exactly is he playing for.

5. Miracle

The inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope. Based on the true story of one of the greatest moments in sports history, the tale captures a time and place where differences could be settled by games and a cold war could be put on ice. In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team's coach, Herb Brooks, took a ragtag squad of college kids up against the legendary juggernaut from the Soviet Union at the Olympic Games. Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning from a distraction from world events. With the world watching, the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels' now famous question, to the millions viewing at home: Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

A.O. vs. Sid the Kid

The Long debated battle over who is the better hockey player, Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin, has caused quite a stir lately with the two players mixing it up in recent games. This debate could not be any easier decided, OVECHKIN is ten times the talent Crosby is. A.O. plays the game like it should be played; he hits, dangles, scores, and plays defense with a tenacity that requires his teammates to respect him. Moreover, A.O. has fun out there; he is not as businesslike as Crosby, whose teammates say he approaches the GAME of hockey as if he was the business world of Wall Street. When I watch these two match up against each other, when the Pen’s play the Cap’s, I always find myself hoping for Ovi to crush Crosby and show him how a real player plays the game. Crosby has always gotten on my nerves, he’s a little baby, always whining to the refs and never looking like he is having fun. HEY SID YOU’RE PLAYING A GAME FOR A LIVING, BE HAPPY! It gets me upset to see a talent like Crosby looking like he is not having fun. Don’t give me that garbage that Sid is just a fierce competitor, because that is just a load of garbage and we all know it. Ovi is just as fierce of a competitor, if not more. Ovi goes pedal to the metal every shift of every game, but the guy always has a smile on his face; he gets the fact that he is getting paid to play the game he loves and he is having fun while doing so. Not to mention that Ovi lives the life of a ROCKSTAR off the ice, the guy is just living and loving. Ovechkin is a better player, he has better hands, more intensity, and he is more physical; overall he is just a better player than Crosby, PERIOD END.

Bruins Make some Trade Dead-Line Moves

The Boston Bruins made some significant moves on the day of the NHL trading deadline. The Bruins were rumored to be going after veteran defenseman and current Anaheim Mighty Duck Chris Pronger as well as the Boston born Keith Tkachuk, who is currently rostered for the St. Louis Blues. However the Bruins had to settle for other players as the two aforementioned guys were not being dealt by their respective teams. The Bruins acquired two players whom they believe will aid in their effort to win The Stanley Cup. The Bruins acquired veteran winger Mark Recchi, a 41 year old proven veteran who will bring leadership and a scoring prowess to the B’s lineup. Recchi will enter the Bruins roster and become the fifth leading scorer on the team without even have played a game for the black and gold. Recchi has been dealt to the Bruins from the Tampa Bay Lightning along with a 2010 second-round pick. The Bruins dealt prospects Matt Lashoff and Martins Karsums to the Lightening in exchange for Recchi and that 2010 second-round pick. The talents of Lashoff and Karsums will definitely hurt the B’s minor league system, but the addition of Recchi will add depth to an already formidable offense. In addition to Recchi the Bruins have also acquired Steve Montador from the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Montador was acquired to add depth and toughness on the blue line; he was acquired in exchange for promising forward Petteri Nokelainen. Montador, 29, has four goals and a career-high 16 assists in 65 games for Anaheim this season. Nokelainen, a 23 year old native of Finland, had three assists in 33 games with the Bruins this season. The prospects given up by the Bruins will undoubtedly hurt them in the long run, but the B’s want to win NOW!