Game of the Week - Stars vs BlackHawks

You've probably heard about the blockbuster trade that hockey fans and bloggers have been talking about this summer - no.. the other blockbuster trade in which the Dallas Stars and defending Stanley Cup champions Chicago BlackHawks.

The video below attempts to simulate a game in which Patrick Sharp plays against his old teammates fresh off with a new start in the Big D. Would he want "revenge"? Would he say all the right things and not upset his friends and former teammates and fans in Chicago. Most likely the latter.


So, that's been your game of the week! Do you have a request for next week's feature game? Leave it in the comments section below or get in touch with me in the appropriate social media platforms!

Thanks!

Dallas Stars Get Last Laugh in Twitter Altercation With Cowboys

The Dallas Stars were clever enough to get the last laugh recently in an altercation on Twitter with their local NFL team the Dallas Cowboys. It seems that the anti-Hockey bigotry had reared it's ugly head on the Cowboys twitter page.

Via: Stars Twitter

There can be no better description to the Stars' classy retort - "Epic Burn". But, later on in the day, the two representative twitter accounts made amends.

[Via: NESN (New England Sports Network]

Mike Modano Career Now with Happy Ending

Mike Modano announced his retirement today in front of a Dallas Stars press conference podium. Which wouldn't be all that shocking, because most popular star players get to do this kind of thing all the time. But considering that Modano had previously tried to extend his career 1 more year and do it wearing an legendary rival Red Wings jersey. But what has shown to be one of the classier moments that hockey fans and players recognise, Mike Modano was able to retire a Dallas Star, the team he spent 20 years with and moved with.

Modano's legacy in hockey is never really given credit where it most due. He served the franchise well, helping bring it's Stanley Cup victory as well as re-rooting hockey's Minnesota North Stars into a state with little NHL hockey tradition or culture. What he's done for hockey in the United States should stand out above the stats and the career longevity. He's served nobly in the Olympics for Team USA when called upon. He has won 2 silver medals and also a World Cup tournament in 96. He's played in 57 international games with 14 goals 27 assists for 41 career points.

He retires as the top American scorer in the NHL.

Believing he would retire at the end of last season, Modano took one last victory lap around the arena in a Minnesota North Stars jersey. I think this jesture solidifies him as a Stars franchise player.

And even as a footnote, Mike Modano also makes a cameo appearance in the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks. Back when hockey players concentrated on their craft season-round, Mike was kind enough to take the time to participate in something like that.

What is your Mike Modano memory?

[Via: CBC.ca]

Adam Burrish Apologizes to a Fan for NHL 11 Gameplay

In what should be seen as a true sense of sportsmanship and humor, winger Adam Burrish recorded an apology to a video game playing fan who was thwarted on a 2-0 breakout by the in-game Burrish. So, as the story goes as reported by Yahoo! Sports hockey bloggers, the fan who was playing NHL 11 sent an angry letter demanding an apology to the real Dallas Stars and the real Adam Burrish. Here is the video from NHL Video.

You got to love a guy who has that kind of time and a sense of humor to acknowledge the ridiculous email from the fan. My only concern is that this sets a precedent to hockey players who may get similar requests from gamblers and other disappointed people. But either way, you just got to laugh along with Burrish at the response.


[Via: Yahoo! Sports]

Mike Modano Salutes Minnesota

As one of the last true hockey players of an already bygone era, Mike Modano was ceremoniously given the first star of the night and saluted the loyal Minnesota fans by wearing a North Stars throwback jersey circa 1989-90 after the last game of the season. It was quite fitting that the Minnesota-born Modano chose this moment as a possible last hurrah to finish out a career where it began.

However, the last laugh might be at the expense of the throwback jersey makers who created a "jersey foul" as explained by a blogger with the screen name "spyboy1" at the blog Third String Goalie: A Hockey Jersey of the Day Blog. Apparently, the number wasn't appropriately raised with the yellow shadowing.

I never liked that incarnation of the North Stars jersey despite the clever use of the "N" with a star. It seemed such a mess of clashing colors of green and black that hurt my eyes. There are jerseys prior to that season, before they implemented the "basic black" fashion trend, but the real legacy of a Minnesota Stars jersey should be the black with the gold "Stars" font just before they flew south to Dallas.

Avery Suspended For Misogyny

When villains with no shame provide themselves with attention-grabbing stunts, there is no depth as to which it ends. Sean Avery may be a lot of things, but we can add misogynistic to this list.

The Stars super-pest was suspended indefinitely by the NHL on Tuesday for conduct "detrimental to the league or game of hockey." The league imposed the ban "following inappropriate public comments, not pertaining to the game made by Avery earlier (Tuesday)."

The NHL Commish, Garry Bettman, has suspended Avery for making public comments to the media about his opponents in Calgary. He labeled Flames captain Jerome Iginla as someone "who nobody cares about" and continued to infuriate with

"I just want to comment on how it's become like a common thing in the NHL for guys to fall in love with my sloppy seconds."

Avery is referring to his ex-girlfriend Elisha Cuthbert who continues to stay romantically linked to other NHL players.

The comments were intended to inflame, so I am not going to get too upset about it, but I am glad that Bettman and the the Dallas Stars have agreed with me.

The Stars were so shocked by their own player's conduct that they publicly supported the suspension.

But shockingly, there are some fans who will argue that Bettman's handling of the situation only raises more questions. Chris Wassel, of The Program blog, wrote a stunning defense for Avery citing censorship will soon purify the NHL into a "No Harassment League" spoiling the fun.

how does "sloppy seconds" adversely effect the game of hockey?

Fans like Chris Wassel don't see the bigger picture of upholding the dignity of the sport and league. Where the NHL is constantly fighting off barrages of attacks from the drive-by mainstream media, this actually makes the league look good to the feminist fans. It's doubtful that the NHL will continue a crusade against taunting. They would have done it by now.

[Via: The Program & The Hockey News]

Brunnstrom Hat Tricks into History

The Mario Lemieux goal on his first shift in his first game stands in time as both a mythic event as well as a historic one. Tonight, there stood something very rare to make a great first impression with the Predators hosted by the Stars.

Fabian Brunnstrom, a well sought after FA, scored 3 goals in one night in his NHL debut game. Congratulations, Fabian! Now how many people are scrambling to get you on their fantasy team?

[Via: Yahoo! Sports]

He Got Mad Skillz

For those of you who don't get Versus yet, or weren't able to have access to the CBC broadcast of the NHL All-Star Weekend, I will do my best to give you my perspective of the Young Stars game and subsequent skills competition.

First of all, it was much shorter than the all-day festival it used to mean. Sure, fans could partake in their own parties and games around the continent all day and all evening, but the classic game of the retired vets have been thrown away in favor of promoting the young stars in what I could tell looked like a glorified game of shinny.

There was very little defense and with a running clock, people were just skating around, cherry picking, and waiting for that one open ice play that would probably look great on the highlight reels.

"Not really," said Patrick Eaves, a forward from the Senators. "We were kind of joking around out there."

2 out of the 3 Penguins youngstars looked like they wanted to be there. shooting defenseman Ryan Whitney collected a great goal with a shot out in the faceoff circle. Jordan Staal, brother to Eric, got a goal past Peter Budaj

The Skills competition was a little routine but Sid Crosby didn't disappoint in his All-Star debut. He helped the Eastern Stars find a 15-11 win against the Western Stars. Chara scored the hardest slapshot at 100.4 mph. Luckilly, there was no goaltender to stand in the way of that shot.

Sports Illustrated