Some more bad news overnight in the hockey world, though we’re glad to say it was not fatal – Flyers GM Paul Holmgren was injured while riding his bike last night. (TSN’s Darren Dreger is reporting that he was struck by a car, but that has not been officially confirmed.) Holmgren suffered a broken shoulder, broken ribs, and “injuries requiring multiple stitches.” He is currently listed in stable condition, and we wish him a speedy and safe recovery.
Former Jacket Chris Clark has agreed to a tryout with the Boston Bruins. Good luck, Chris!
The City of Vancouver has decided that the NHL is at fault for the post-Stanley Cup rioting. Which seems reasonable to me – after all, the NHL failed to deploy enough police presence from their crack teams scattered across North America, request aid from the RCMP, talk to other cities about how they handled traffic and crowd control, or meet with the provincial governor to make sure that the infrastructure to handle such a crowd was in place and make sure that additional assets could be made available in the event of a crisis.
Wait, sorry, the NHL doesn’t have their own police force? Aren’t a civic government? Have absolutely nothing to do with the day to day operations of a major metropolis and don’t have the authority to tell the City of Vancouver or the BC provincial government how to police their citizens?
And of course the NHL weren’t the ones closing down streets and explicitly inviting as many people as possible to gather downtown.
Former notorious tough guy Jesse Boulerice has retired, according to his wife’s facebook. Also, it seems she’s getting into the juice business. Sometimes you just can’t make a joke about a headline because trying to improve on the bare reality would be pointless.
Like many people in this economy, former Jackets assistant Gary Agnew was having difficulty finding work – so he’s gone into business for himself. Good on him (and former head coach Ken Hitchcock, who seems to be something of a mentor / unofficial partner) in finding ways to improve his life and keep doing what he loves. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Dispatch piece on a former Jacket / Coach without campaigning to hire him back into the organization, but you just take that grain of salt and move on.
It appears the Dallas Stars are a few steps closer to new ownership, but one of the hurdles that must be cleared is a bankruptcy proceeding in Delaware (the state, not the Ohio city) next week. Some advice to the staff of the Stars: Hit a Wawa. Seriously. You can get gas, buy some tastykakes, order a bananas foster smoothie and have them make you a sandwich before you ever walk inside. How cool is that?
Mark Dekanich got his new mask yesterday, and it looks fantastic. Love the red cage for contrast.
OK, as things to do with the Stanley Cup go, holding a flash mob is one of the more interesting. Point for Mr. Ference.
DBJ reacts to the Detroit Red Wings signing a sponsorship deal with well…you know.
The world’s longest hockey game is in the books to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research. They raised over $125,000. Well done! Take a well earned nap until…uh….Friday.
Did you catch the replay of the Jackets’ inaugural season 7-6 OT victory over Florida on Fox Sports Ohio last night? Check out what people put on the #CBJ hashtag last night – there’s some great nostalgia and comedy gold. The next showcase game will air on Sunday, the 18th at 5pm, featuring the March 5 2009 shootout win over the Penguins.
Finally, a good question from Harrison over at Puck Daddy: Do NHL tough guys need their own union? He makes some good points about the fact that fighters / enforcers tend to have issues and pressures that many other players don’t, and that it may take someone who has been on the inside to communicate them effectively. I’m not sure if a full union, or just a dedicated team at the NHLPA would make a difference.