The verdict is in, Tampa Bay Lightning star forward Steven Stamkos will not be making the trip to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Olympics. It has been a question since his injury if he would be able to get back in the lineup by February, and when he was walking two week after his injury, it looked almost certain that he would be back in time. However, a CT Scan conducted on Wednesday proved what Canadians dreaded, Stamkos will not be cleared for play. Lightning Medical Director, Ira Gutentag, said that Stamkos will continue rehabilitation with the Lightning staff during the Olympic break and will be reevaluated in two-to-three weeks.
“After reviewing the CT scan this afternoon, Dr. Gutentag made it clear to me and to Steven, that the tibia is not completely healed and therefore he should not be participating in game action at any time in the near future,” GM Steve Yzerman said in making the announcement. “Although the doctor was pleased to this point with the healing process, he explained that the callus surrounding the fracture site is not 100 percent consolidated, and Steven should not play until that happens.”
After receiving the injury on November 11th in a game against the Boston Bruins, Stamkos has missed thirty-nine regular season games to this point.
“Today is very disappointing for me,” Stamkos said. “I believed that we did everything possible in order to have my injured leg ready in time for the Olympics, but I realize you cannot force healing. I know, in the best interest of my long term health, that I cannot represent Canada in Sochi, as much as I would like to.”
Now comes the question of who is going to replace Stamkos in the Team Canada lineup. The front runners for the position include fellow Lightning teammate, Martin St. Louis, Philadelphia Flyers captain Claude Giroux, and Carolina Hurricanes captain Eric Staal.
I generally use this forum as a distraction from my pain. Hockey in general, but the Blackhawks in particular, provides a respite from the frustration and sickness I face. So, my contributions to The Pink Puck are separate. They are a chance to dish on one of my favorite things.
But, the truth is, I have a chronic illness. Based on its symptoms, which range from muscle and joint pain to headaches, frequent nausea, dizziness, and extreme fatigue, doctors thought I had Multiple Sclerosis, Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and more. I look fine — haggard, in my opinion — but normal to most. I live in pain.
For months, more than two years ago, I saw doctors and specialists in Connecticut and New York City — trying to figure out why I could no longer handle my commutes into the city for work, and on some days, even light and sound. Eventually, after giving up more blood to tests than the Hanson Brothers did to ice, I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease.
Despite my outdoorsy background, the potential of a tick-borne disease hadn’t crossed my mind. I could’ve been infected any time in the past couple years of exploring Connecticut’s beautiful scenery. Because I wasn’t treated immediately, I’m one of the unfortunate but growing number of people with “chronic Lyme,” or Post Lyme Disease Treatment Syndrome, or Lyme Arthritis, and co-infections. A bug, likely the size of a poppy seed, left me with Lyme Disease, and a related infection and parasite.
Since then, I’ve left my beloved TV job in NYC, moved back to the Midwest to be closer to friends and family, had several months with a PICC line and IV antibiotics, sorted more medications and supplements than I could count, relied on my boyfriend for help on stairs, in and out of the bath, with treatments, and much-necessary support. Here’s a radio interview on my experience.
The Center for Disease Control has only recently admitted that their numbers were off by 10 percent, that 300,000 Americans rather than 30,000 have Lyme. They remain stringently attached, however, to old treatment guidelines that insurance companies adhere to–meaning even those of us who work and are insured must pay out of pocket for treatment if we remain sick. The plight of those with persistent Lyme is shown in the documentary Under our Skin on Hulu, and in this shorter project.
As I’ve tried to chronicle in my personal blog, aboutdarnlyme.blogspot.com, I work full time, take on freelance when I can, and still have gone through my savings and cashed out my retirement to cover medical expenses.
To deal with IV treatments, and now very painful antibiotic injections, I’ve used the mostly pleasant distraction of Blackhawks hockey. I even had a custom “Blackhawks sock” cover made for the PICC line in my arm. Hockey has helped me get through this mentally.
And now, so that I can pay the pile of bills I’ve accumulated, and continue treatment, my loved ones are hoping hockey can help me again.
They’re hosting the Face-off Against Lyme Disease benefit Feb. 22 from 4:30-7 p.m. at my hometown ice rink, Ice Valley Centre, 1601 River Road, Kankakee, IL. The suggested donation for admission is $10 per person or $25 for families with children.
There will be food, drinks, hockey scrimmages, and a skills competition as well as face painting for children.
Raffle and silent auction prizes include gift cards for Icewarehouse.com, restaurants.com, Starbucks, and iTunes; tickets to the Chicago Wolves and Rockford IceHogs; a gemstone; a Kindle Fire; spa, Tupperware, wine, hair, and beauty baskets; massage certificates; autographed Chicago Bear memorabilia; and more.
We’re looking for players (high school and older), referees, participants, donors, and attendees.
We’re also selling a Puck Lyme shirt (mock-up) as a fundraiser.
Regardless of whether you can attend/contribute, follow these preventative tips to stay tick-free and healthy.
(Contact me for information: carlyamullady@gmail.com)
Patrick Kane had two goals and an assist in the Blackhawks’ 5-3 win against the L.A. Kings Monday night, just hours after learning his beloved grandfather, Donald “Grandpa Kane-O” Kane, had passed away.
“Tough day overall,” Kane told reporters with tears welling up. “He was one of my great friends growing up, and [it’s] just a really sad day. It was important to get the win, but anytime you get someone taken away from you that’s so close, that means so much, it’s tough to hear that right before the game.”
“He lived next door to me my whole childhood. We’d do things like play cards and hang out by the pool throughout the summers,” Kane told NHL.com after the game. “He came to a lot of my hockey games, but more importantly for him, he was worried about grades and being a good kid. It was a tough day, for sure.”
As someone who grew up with grandparents right down the street, it was hard watching Kane swallow the lump in his throat for hist interview. It isn’t always easy to relate to professional athletes, but I soon saw my grandparents back at any of my sporting events, and reminisced eagerly handing over my report cards to my own grandpa–earning cash, but more importantly, smiles and hugs, for A’s. And, I thought of my youngest brother breaking my grandma’s bank with $5 per goal during an undefeated Bantam year.
As tears welled up in my own eyes, I was grateful the reporters brought the focus back on the game. And, what a game it was.
Kane, like many athletes, seemed to fuel the sorrow into an inspirational performance in the arena.
Just 1:02 into the first period, he gave the Blackhawks the lead with a Power Play wrist shot, assisted by Captain Jonathan Toews and Patrick Sharp.
“To see the little guy, the way he performed… hats off to him. He put it out there,” Bryan Bickell said of Kane’s performance.
Bickell’s performance was significant as well. He scored about seven minutes later (a slapshot off a feed from Kane), breaking a bit of a slump that’s left him a healthy scratch and earned recent criticism. It was Bickell’s 100th career point.
“He didn’t get a ton of minutes but it was progress,” Coach Joel Quenneville told Comcast Sportsnet about Bickell Tuesday. “We expect him to continue to get confidence, get some predictability in his game. He did some good things last night, and it was nice to see.”
The Kings’ Drew Doughty scored on a power play while Andrew Shaw (1 assist) served a roughing penalty about halfway through the first.
Anze Kopitar then tied the game 6:30 into the second.
The next three goals came from a dominating Chicago team.
Marcus Kruger tipped a goal in (assists by Nick Leddy, Ben Smith) at 13:52 in the second, giving the lead back to the Hawks.
At 7:01 in the third, Leddy (assists by Marian Hossa, Kris Versteeg) whipped a slapshot past Jonathan Quick.
Four minutes later, Kane tallied his second goal of the night, with a tip-in fed by Toews and Sharp.
Though Tyler Toffoli was able to respond in just 30 seconds with a wrist shot goal (assists by Kopitar, Jeff Carter), the Hawks were able to hold the Kings for the remainder of the game, giving Kane, Bickell, Corey Crawford, and the rest of the crew a much-needed victory.
The Kings took 41/63 face-offs and were 36-10 with hits. Quick made 25 saves, while Crawford made 31.
Tonight, the Western Conference leading Blackhawks take on the Pacific Conference-leading Ducks. They close their six-game road trip (so far 2-0-2) in Phoenix Friday before the Olympic break.
Once upon a time, in a season far far away, when the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks hit the ice, it was just another game. But one heated Stanley Cup Final in 2011 changed all of that and now when the two teams face-off it’s a rivalry like no other. The Bruins came out the victor in 2011 hoisting the Cup that June, the Canucks rallied back with a 6-2 victory last month, but the contempt held for one another never seems to die down. Finger biting, finger flipping, and ring finger kissing aside — the battle brings everything a fan loves about hockey right to center ice.
Both teams featured Olympic caliber starting goaltenders with Team Finland’s Rask between the pipes for Boston and Team Canada’s Lulongo opposing for Vancouver. Rask stopped 27 of 28 shots faced, while Lulongo made 29 saves on 32 shots.
The game itself featured a certain amount of physicality that’s often found during a playoff run. It was the elevated physical type of play made as a team, but more specifically Johnny Boychuk that helped illuminate the Bruins early in the game.
“Definitely. He’s a big strong guy,” said Lucic on feeding off of Boychuk’s physicality. “A little bit of a scare there on that race kind of when the icing was waved off. But he’s a big strong boy and he always comes to play and he knows how to use his body well. So you saw it here today. On the back end he started to take over the game physically and we need that from him heading into the next game. He’s our most veteran defenseman.”
With a veteran title, perhaps comes a greater expectation as the final two games prior to Olympic break are almost upon the black and gold. Captain Zdeno Chara as previously reported will miss the final two games as he heads to Sochi, Russia to carry the flag for his native Slovakia. While his presence on the blue line will certainly be missed, the responsibility to step up will fall on the team as a whole, some players will also more than likely see an increase in on-ice minutes.
“I think everyone will be,” said Boychuk when asked about extra ice time in Chara’s absence. “They are going to expect a lot out of me. As a defense core we have to step up and not try to replace what we he [Chara] brings to the table but just step your game up individually and just try and keep it simple out there.”
Under fire, the decision for Chara to leave early, effectively missing two games and head to the Olympic games was not an easy one. Nor was it one made by the Bruins captain solely, it was a collective choice between Chara, team management and the team as a whole.
“Obviously I would never have made this decision without talking to the team – management, coaches and obviously players,” said Chara. “It would be pretty selfish if I were to make that decision on my own. This is…was made as a group and that was the only way I would accept it. So I really appreciate it again and it means a lot to me. Again thank you to all who made that decision.”
Always a team player, Chara has exemplified the meaning of captain during his reign in Boston. Leaving the team early, albeit only for two games was indeed a choice made by all.
“Yeah, definitely,” said Lucic when asked if it was a team decision. “I think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and it’s definitely a huge honor as an athlete to be a part of something like this and be the flag bearer for your country. So I’m happy for him, I’m thrilled for him that he gets to do this and have this opportunity, and I know we’ll all be watching to see how he does.”
With Chara heading overseas adding a special moment to his hockey career roster, the night in particular held a milestone at 5:12 of the first period, for another veteran player. When Jarome Iginla tallied his 24th assist of the season from Milan Lucic, for many the excitement would stop there, for Iginla it marked the 600th assist of his storied career.
“To be honest, I didn’t know that going in,” said Iginla on his 600th. “But I’m thankful for that, you don’t really think of those until you get there or whatever. I’m just thankful to keep playing as long as I have and I’m having a great time and it’s awesome to be here with these guys. It was fun to get it on that in a game against Vancouver for a lot of reasons. It was an important win and we also wanted to rebound from earlier in the season against them too.”
Humble to the core, Igilna has been a positive addition to the team from the start with many more to hopefully come as the season continues to progress into it’s final months.
“Well I didn’t realize that. I’m not that big on keeping up on these stats, or not very good at it I should say,” said Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien on Iginla’s 600th assist. “Good for him. It just kind of exemplifies the type of career that he’s had, and that he’s still having. He’s been a great player in this league for a long time, so you always like to see those kind of goals being accomplished. And in my mind, he’s got lots more left.”
Boston will look to continue carrying the momentum of their last two wins into contests against the Blues in St. Louis on Thursday, followed by a 3 pm matinee against Ottawa in Boston on Saturday. Those looking for a glimpse of 6’9 Chara representing Slovakia, the Olympic opening ceremonies will face-off on Friday at 11:30 am EST but won’t be broadcast until 7:30 pm EST on NBC.
As the NHL is winding down towards their Olympic Break, things in the AHL are set to break for a different reason. The AHL All-Star Classic is set to take place in St. John’s, Newfoundland this season. The Skills Competition will be on Tuesday, February 11th with the game coming on Wednesday, February 12th. The city is rich in AHL history but this will be an All-Star event unlike one we’ve seen before.
This season, instead of featuring two teams made up of the best talent in the AHL, the All-Star Classic will feature a team of the league’s best taking on Farjestads BK Karlstad of the Swedish Hockey League. In the past, both teams participating in the event have been made up of AHL players. The game has featured match-ups like Eastern Confernce vs. Western Conference and Canada vs. PlanetUSA. This new match-up might turn out to be an exciting revamp to the All-Star festivities.
There are definitely downsides, though. In the past, there have been over 40 of the leagues best players attending the event. That has ensured that each team had at least one representative there. This season there will only be 22 players making up the AHL All-Star Team taking on the Swedish team from Farjestad. In fact, with this new format, 14 of the 30 teams in the AHL will be without representation this season. That means there are 14 fan bases without anyone to root for. Of course, AHL fans can cheer for their All-Stars as a whole but it’s not the same as having at least that one player.
Some teams did have representation, but had those players withdraw for various reasons. One such case is the Manchester Monarchs. They were scheduled to be represented by Martin Jones, who is currently acting as the backup goalie for the Kings, and Linden Vey, who had to withdraw due to family reasons. The AHL also recently announced that the lone Bruins representative, Ryan Spooner, had to withdraw and was replaced.
It also changes the spirit. During the skills competition, the players hang around in front of the benches and get a chance to bond with other players from around the league. When the competition pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference, it gives guys who are usually battling it out on the ice the chance to joke around with each other. It could end up being the same, but the teams will not have the connection of all having come from the same league. In most cases, players from the AHL All-Stars will have never come across any of the Farjestad players.
The current roster (as of today) can be found here. With a full week between now and the skills competition, there is still plenty of time to see more changes come to the roster. It will be interesting to see how this latest change to the AHL All-Star Classic goes.
Back in November (oh, those halcyon days), Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin scored against the New York Islanders and everybody went nuts. He was coming off a 15-game “scoring drought” that had been stressing out every sports analyst in the league (not to mention, probably, Evgeni Malkin).
After his goal against the Islanders, Chris Peters for CBS Sports wrote:
“With each passing game, the questions grew louder … For weeks it had looked like Malkin was passing up some golden opportunities by distributing the puck to a teammate instead of trying to bury the shot himself. This time it was Neal being extra generous.” (source)
Everyone was happy to have Malkin at the back of the net, and within a few games he shot up to second overall in the NHL, behind teammate Sidney Crosby.
Well, I say “shot up.” Considering the fact that he’d been in fourth place for assists during that long “slump,” it was really more of quick jog. Going into the game against the Islanders, Malkin had registered 19 assists throughout the season–14 of them during the so-called slump. Despite not scoring until the game against the Islanders, he was awarded the second star of November, leading players in assists (21 total) and points (25). It was the most any NHL player had managed since Wayne Gretzky in 1996.
1996!
In other words, Malkin might not have been the last one to touch the puck, but he was still helping generate goals. Points are given for assists because goals aren’t (usually) created in a vacuum.
I’m using Malkin as an example because it’s the obvious one. Even without a goals, he was still ranking amongst the highest in points, both overall and for assists. He was still contributing every game, and contributing in a big way.
CBJ followed their eight-game win with a three-game dip, and were again said to be slumping. They’re 11-4-0 since January 1, tying Anaheim for the second-best record in that time. They’re currently seventh in the NHL for goals-per-game. Also, they’re 14th overall, which is a huge jump from where they were at the beginning of January (23rd).
The problems that CBJ faced in the three games between the end of their streak and their win against D.C. weren’t the same ones that plagued them in the early parts of the season, when they battled with late-game meltdowns and inconsistency of game play, still asking themselves what kind of team they wanted to be.
During the streak, they stopped asking. When they lost against Buffalo, Carolina, and Ottawa, they had answered the question–they just weren’t very good at it. But they weren’t good at it the way that people aren’t immediately good at bowling; after that first strike, you’re going to get a few gutterballs. They weren’t slumping. They were adjusting.
So, do three games make a slump? Do four? Do 14?
Hockey writers and analysts are obsessed with that word, but I don’t think it means what we think it means. “Slump” is defined (as is relevant to this article) as, “a sudden severe or prolonged fall in value; a period of substantial failure or decline.”
None of those things applied to Malkin, who might not have been netting goals but was certainly helping produce them. Was he substantially failing the Penguins while he was registering 19 assist points? Did his value as a player fall because the pucks hitting the back of the net hit someone else’s stick?
What I’m really asking is: do we overvalue goal scorers and undervalue goal makers?
Actually, I’m not asking. I’m saying it. The “slump” narrative is an easy one to write about. Malkin wasn’t slumping; neither was CBJ. (Edmonton. Edmonton is … probably slumping.) It’s too broad a word, not nearly nuanced enough to talk about what is happening on the ice. Games are measured in goals, but teams and players shouldn’t be. There’s too much that goes into them. Goals happen because a lot of different factors come together, from goalie to forward. Goals are the cherry on top of a hockey sundae.
I’m not saying you can’t enjoy the cherry. But maybe we should reconsider judging the entire dessert by a single one of its toppings.
With so many Penguins going to the Olympics, it’s hard for a Pittsburgh fan to choose who to root for. The USA? Canada? Finland? Russia? If you haven’t already chosen, we here at The Pink Puck are here to help, with a comprehensive guide to where your allegiances should lie.
USA – You bleed red, white, and blue. Most specifically – blue, for the blue liners Brooks Orpik and Paul Martin, who are heading to Sochi to represent the US of A. You’re a fan of the defensive game, and you like your defensemen to be the solid, stay-at-home type. Reliable. Honest. Maybe the kind of guy who would cook you breakfast. (Thanks, Paul Martin.) Kris Letang is probably not your cup of tea.
Maybe you’re also a bit of a teacher’s pet, because you’ll also be rooting for Tony Granato and Dan Bylsma as USA coaches. You probably like the Penguin’s style of play and think that they’re a well-oiled machine with great special teams. But nothing beats the Penguins blue line for you.
Or maybe you’re just super-patriotic. What do I know?
Canada – O captain, my captain! Through rain, snow, wind, and hail, you will follow Sidney Crosby to the ends of the earth, or at least metaphorically over the 49th parallel. You like winning, and you like winning big – gold medal or bust for you. An intact Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis line may reduce you to tears of joy at the sheer beauty. You probably tweeted #Kuni4Canada at least once, and you’re not even ashamed.
Finland – You’re kind of a hipster, to be honest. Finland’s the choice for those who like avoiding the beaten path, who want to root for a team with Penguins on it but not the obvious choices – so cliche. You like the underrated talents of Jussi Jokinen and the defensive dynamism of Olli Maatta. Gold would be great, but come on, everyone’s going for gold. You’ll just be happy to medal at all.
Russia – You’re an Evgeni Malkin fan – but not any Evgeni Malkin fan, the Evgeni Malkin fan. You are a bigger Evgeni Malkin fan than even I am. (Hah hah, not likely.) You are such a strong Evgeni Malkin fan that you’re willing to put aside every sketchy thing Russia has ever done – and they’ve done plenty – and root for the home team to take home the gold. Maybe you’re more than a little sketchy yourself. But mostly, you just want Geno to achieve his hopes and dreams. You feel for that guy. And after all, Russia best.))))))
It’s a real possibility that some of you suffer from having extremely pale skin, it’s a struggle. With dark hair and pale skin, it’s often hard to wear certain colors, take black for example, without looking like you rolled off the set of the Addams family. Growing up people would call me Wednesday as in Wednesday Addams — get it, Winter Adams, Wednesday Addams… kids can be so cruel, despite the fact that I did bear a resemblance to the character.
Off topic, but the point I’m trying to convey, is that while black is a go-to color for many people, it’s worthy of two-minutes in the box if it’s being worn as any article of clothing beyond pants. That being said, getting dressed for games, I often wonder why my entire wardrobe consists of the color. Black cardigans, black blazers, black blouses, all articles that I love, but really shouldn’t wear every day.
One color that I do love to wear, but don’t own much of is white. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why white is a color of choice, but as silly as it is, wearing white makes me feel tan. With a day filled to the brim with commitments, I wanted a no fuss appropriate, but comfortable outfit to get me through it all.
Sometimes back to basics is just what you need. In honor of that sentiments, I went with a simple color scheme and a pop of color.
Breakdown:
White long sleeve v-neck blouse, TJMaxx, $16.99
Heather grey 3/4 cardigan, Old Navy, $14.99
Black corduroy skinny leg pants, Macy’s, clearance, $12.50
Black wedges with studded heel, Sears, $24.99 – Say what you want about the Kardashians, I’m not a fan of them, but these are from their collection and one of the most comfortable pairs of shoes I’ve ever worn – so kudos. Pink Safety Pin Bracelet, our own Pink Puck DIY project, cost under $10
Media Tip: I don’t know if I’ve used this as a tip before, if I have, I apologize. It’s a tip that saves me every post game. Make sure you have a hair elastic in your bag, there is possibly no greater feeling than wrapping up the day with a ponytail or messy bun for your commute home.
The name Henrik Zetterberg is a well known one, the 33-year-old Swedish forward wears the “C” for the Detroit Red Wings. With a somewhat lengthy career under his jersey already, his accolades have piled up over the seasons. Zetterberg’s talent on the ice is unmistakable, that unmistakable talent can be found off the ice with his celebrity look-a-like, actor and musician, Jared Leto.
Leto, a 42-year-old Louisiana native is known for his rolls in My So Called Life, Fight Club and most recently Dallas Buyers Club. Leto is also the front-man for the ever popular band Thirty Seconds to Mars — the bands tunes fill hockey arenas on game nights across the league.
Menswear-for-her is, literally, a lady sportswriters bestie.
From structured blazers to tweed-y trousers to those lace-up oxfords that make even my size 9 feet look tiny. Ask around the rink, and I’ll bet that any lady you ask has some dudes’ duds in their closet.
My all-time favorite item that’s borrowed from the boys? The “boyfriend button-down.”
Being at the Tank four nights out of seven headed into the Olympic break, I was in need of something comfy, but also cute and a little bit classy. And having a few of these in my arsenal definitely achieves that.
I’m an absolute sucker for H&M button-downs, which also occasionally go on sale throughout the year. Their lightweight enough that you can layer them over a cami and skirt, or wear them solo with a pair of leggings.
For the Sharks Monday night contest against the Flyers I opted for a pinstriped button-down over a black bandage skirt, and opague black tights. I toughened up the look a but with a black leather jacket and a pair of moto boots that I got from TJMaxx for 15 bucks several years ago that still look like I just bought them.
PRO TIP: Pack a small zip-front sweatshirt in your purse that you can layer under your leather jacket during the game. It’ll keep you warm for 60 minutes of play, and then you can swap it out and sport the jacket on its own post-game.
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