Photo Expedition: Puck Daddy's 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend, Vol. 2

In Vol. 1 of our hockey tour of Raleigh, we brought you some sights and sounds from the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft. But the rest of the weekend focused on RBC Center, which is located roughly three states away from the downtown area. Which is fine, of course, when your entire fan base tailgates like a Buffett concert before every game.

This classic tailgating vehicle was spotted before Sunday's All-Star Game, and one gets the sense it's not the first time it's been seen in this parking lot. In fact, we'd wager it's attended more Canes games than John Forslund.

Coming up, more tailgating, more fan festing and a few of those wonderful glamour shots from the NHL, like this one of Alex Ovechkin and Mike Green of the Washington Capitals:

Dude, senior prom was weird this year.

And here ... we ... go.

From the Fan Fest, the would be the innards of an actual FoxTrax glow puck, which debuted in the 1995-96 NHL All-Star Game. They keep it under glass in order to contain its scorching comet tail should it suddenly move. Not pictured: The lifeless body of a FOX hockey robot, resting quietly nearby.

Patrick Sharp's new paperweight.

Speaking of Sharp, here's another NHL glamour shot. The whole "light inside the jersey" thing was an interesting idea, but for only for certain sweaters. Here, it looks like Patrick Sharp is being stalked by E.T., who can be excused for his stalking because after all it is Patrick Sharp (*swoon*).

Not sure if we've mentioned this yet, but some of the glamour shots worked better than others.

Much more glamorous, Jonas Hiller.

As I was waiting to talk with Jonathan Toews after the skills competition, I noticed two large bins of broken shot accuracy targets. I asked the arena worker where they were headed; "the trash" was the answer. Like so much other trash, I immediately saw this as a rec room treasure and snagged this one, fighting the urge to break journalistic protocol and have Daniel Sedin sign it. It's now safely back at home since the TSA wasn't smart enough to break it open and find my stash of heroin.

This is a BBQ smoker located near the front gate RBC Center, feeding a few hundred people in a large tent before the game and completely blocking our view of that awesome Andy Moog jersey.

This dude sells anti-Boston shirts on the Internet. We were puzzled about this animosity towards the Boston Bruins given that they appeared to be Buffalo Sabres fans. Sure, Adams Division rivalries run deep, but still.

These Carolina Hurricanes fans were situated near one of the entrances to the parking lot. We're not sure if you were supposed to honk three times, or if one honk covered all three requests, or if you disagreed with the second request whether you honked, waited a beat and then honked again. Maybe we're over-thinking this.

We were as surprised as you are to see Marty Turco at the All-Star Game.

Cole's Grassy Knoll is good people. Leahy and I were invited over there via some readers on Twitter and it's really one of the better tailgates I've seen at a hockey game that didn't involve, say, a giant camper painted in team colors.

The food at Cole's Knoll. We've isolated the meat crack that was filet mignon chunks wrapped in bacon.

And what better way to wash down a nice picnic lunch than with what they found in Charlie Sheen's hotel bathtub? Well, underneath the hooker.

In the end, this is what it all about.

There have been lots of stories written about Raleigh's hockey renaissance and how the fans supported the event last weekend. But that's playing catch-up: The Carolina Hurricanes have had rabid support for years, although it doesn't always show up in the attendance figures or the national TV ratings.

The Cole's Knoll crew has been at it for years. The fans rocking Brind'Amour and Francis jerseys have been at it for years. It's almost a shame that it takes an All-Star Game for that dedicated to get recognized.

But the fans in Raleigh didn't mind. They welcomed out of-towners with open arms. They welcomed local media that only shows up on the playoffs with wide smiles. They were generally happy to have been chosen for this event, and made sure that honor wasn't wasted in apathy. From Skinnermania to Team Staal, they made this work.

Calgary Flames Boston Bruins New York Rangers New York Islanders

Why The Hold-Up On The Schedule?

While MLS has posted the early fixture list for each team, doesn't it seem odd that a release of the full schedule has been delayed? Is there some form of uncertainty at this point that leaves them concerned about publicizing the list? For instance, I was beginning to consider a trip for this summer. I [...]


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Photo Expedition: Puck Daddy's 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend, Vol. 1

RALEIGH, NC -- The first day of NHL All-Star Weekend was centered around the NHL Fan Fest in Raleigh, with puckheads attending both a street fair and an impressive festival inside the Convention Center.

The primary motivation for many of the fans inside the Fan Fest was attempting to score tickets to that night's Fantasy Draft, including this Carolina Hurricanes fan's plea.

Meanwhile, outside ... sledding?

Sledding.

Sledding At The All-Star Game from Greg Wyshynski on Vimeo.

The best part about the sledding was that the end of the run was right near a brick oven pizza cart whose slices tasted of ketchup but felt great as a late-night snack.

Coming up, photos from inside the Fan Fest; of some All-Star Game merchandise; a memorable player's watch; video of Inglorious Backes before the draft; and some NHL Guardians fun.

And here ... we ... go.

Here's the Fan Fest at the Raleigh Convention Center, which resembles the one in Montreal but definitely feels more like the team-centric fan conventions they've had for teams like the Washington Capitals. Lines for the games were long but moved well; there was also a chance to see all the NHL Awards as well as taking photos with the Stanley Cup. Can you find Sean Leahy in this photo? Don't bother, he was standing next to me.

This guy had a Team Lidstrom sign before there was a Team Lidstrom, so we asked him, "What if Team Lidstrom looks absolutely terrible after the Draft?" That was before Team Lidstrom drafted like Nick had Ken Holland speaking to him in an earpiece and Team Staal put together a roster based solely on bloodlines, friendships and fear of David Backes. Speaking of which ...

David Backes before the NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft from Greg Wyshynski on Vimeo.

The most Inglorious member of the St. Louis Blues spoke to us before the NHL All-Star Game draft. Guess the lobbying paid off.

If you were wondering how the NHL intended to sell merchandise before the teams were drafted, here's how: Generic, gray player T-shirts with a striking logo on the front.

The media "mix zone" that didn't really provide the sort of access many in the media were looking for at this event, in comparison to previous All-Star Games. That improved a bit after the event, but it was past deadline for many scribes by that point. 

This is Patrick Kane's watch. We're fairly certain it can stop time.

As you know, the NHL Guardians Project will be revealed in full at Sunday's NHL All-Star Game, but they're all over the place here in Raleigh: Virtual reality games, giant posters, T-shirts, all of it. Here's a shot of the Philadelphia Flyers Guardian from the official graphic novel, as he uses a magic bird to fight Ben Franklins.

Owen Wilson, Monika Lewinsky and Kenny Powers' blonde cousin, a.k.a. The Hanson Brothers.

This is so weird: Seeing a woman with a giant bedazzled Carolina Hurricanes belt buckle was on my bucket list. *Check*

Finally ...

Foul.

Middlesbrough Newcastle United Portsmouth Southampton

Classless Acts of the Year 2010

Those countless hours watching games, reviewing drive charts, reading stories and gathering information by any means necessary are never put to waste. Instead, notes are funneled into a little corner of the hard drive where ? at the end of...

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Toronto Blue Jays: Three Cleveland Indians That Could Be On The Blue Jays' Radar

With only one real big signing remaining on Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopolous' agenda before the season starts—Jose Bautista, the Jays roster looks to be almost set heading into spring training.

Spring Training for the Blue Jays will be used to figure out who will be that long-awaited fifth starter for the Jays. Names being mentioned already include Jesse Litsch, Marc Rzepcynski, Zack Stewart and even Scott Richmond to fill the void left by Shaun Marcum, who was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers earlier in the year for Canadian second baseman, and top 50 MLB prospect Brett Lawrie.

Another use for Spring Training will be to figure out who the team's closer come opening day will be. Again, a fistful of names are on the tryout list which include Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch, Jason Frasor and the recently-signed Octavio Dotel.

Again, it will be anyone's guess who will win the role out of Spring Training, but experts peg Francisco with the slight edge right now.

Manager Jon Farrell will also use the time to round out the remaining two or three bench spots that should remain before the season begins. Already pegged for bench positions appear to be back-up catcher Jose Molina, utility-man John MacDonald and fourth outfielder Juan Rivera.

If the Jays decide to keep eight bullpen pitchers, they will not need another bench player to round out the roster. However, if they choose to only keep seven, they will need an extra bench player. Guys who come to mind here include Mike McCoy, Corey Patterson and Darin Mastroianni.

I doubt the Jays would keep Mastroianni and have him rot on the bench, so the only two likely guys would be McCoy and Patterson. To bring Patterson in, the Jays would need to sign him to a major-league contract and demote someone off their 40-man roster. So with that said, McCoy could have the inside track there.

Enough with the background information and onto more important things.

With the Jays shedding some payroll, they have their books cleared up to re-sign home run champ Jose Bautista to a long-term contract. Even taking that money into account, the Jays still have one of the smaller payrolls in baseball.

The Jays will need to make a decision. Do we compete this year or next? Judging by the way the other Toronto sports major franchises are failing miserably, in my opinion, it would be in the Jays best financial interest to spend money now and make their team a contender.

With the Raptors and Leafs seasons heading down the porcelain throne, the Blue Jays could really see a spike in ticket sales and merchandise if they are willing to put a winner out there today.

A great AL team for the Jays to look at are the Cleveland Indians.

Rumors are swirling about all three of these players I will be listing, and personally, all three would be great fits for the Jays.

 

RF Shin Shoo Choo

Choo is one of those quiet, yet extremely effective right fielders nobody ever hears about, but should. Last season he hit .300 with 22 HR and 90 RBI, along with swiping 20 bags. I really can't think of anyone who had a quieter 20/20 season than Choo, maybe across Ohio in Cincinnati, where Drew Stubbs hit 20 HR and swiped 30 bags.

Choo is extremely durable and dependable, and right now appears to be hesitating on signing an extension with the Tribe.

If the Jays are unable to sign Bautista, do they go after Choo? Or even if they do sign Bautista, do they move him to third and try and bring in Choo?

Choo is owed $3.95 million this season, and is still arbitration eligible for the next two offseasons. Personally, he's right down the Jays' alley in terms of relatively young and controllable for the next few years. 

What will they be looking for?

Likely two or three really good prospects in return for Choo.

 

SP Fausto Carmona

If the Jays are not confident in their No. 5 starter, a name being bandied about in trade rumors lately has been Indians ace Fausto Carmona. Last season saw Carmona resurrect his career after a few brutal seasons.

Carmona started 33 games, going 13-14 on a dismal team. In 210 innings pitched, he allowed 203 hits, 88  earned runs, 124 strikeouts, but sadly 72 walks.

Still though, his control was much better last season, as he walked only two more batters than the last two seasons, where he walked 70 batters. Even better, he only pitched 125 innings in each of those seasons, so that's marked improvement for Carmona.

Last season in limited action against the AL East, he held his own going 4-3 in 52.2 innings pitched allowing 54 hits, 23 ER, good for roughly a 3.93 earned run average. Today, anything below 4.00 is great to have.

Under the tutelage of John Farrell and Bruce Walton, Carmona could have a breakout season.

The major downside however is that he's owed $ 6.288 million this season, and $7, $9 and $12 million the next three seasons afterwords. So its really a financial burden trying to get him, but the Jays have plenty of room to expand their payroll.

What will they be looking for?

Likely two cheaper pitching prospects in return for Carmona. Maybe Chad Jenkins and Henderson Alvarez. Personally that's probably overpaying on he part of the Jays.

 

CF Grady Sizemore

Injuries have plagued Sizemore for almost two seasons, and his trade value has taken a severe hit on the Indians. Once thought of as one of the best five tool players in the game, the injuries Sizemore that sustained lately has really derailed what looked to be a very promising career.

I am not saying his career is over or he's washed up, but with injury concerns and a fairly high salary, the Indians, if they are fielding offers, would likely have to lower their asking value for the time being.

Best strategy for them would be to hold onto Grady and hope he returns to his 2008 form in which he hit .268 and belted 33 homers and drove 90 runners at the top of Cleveland's lineup. He also swiped 38 bases that year.

But who knows, the Jays could come in with a wonderful offer and the Indians accept.

What will they be looking for?

Personally it will likely take three to four top 25 organizational prospects to acquire Grady. A package including Jake Marisnick, Zack Stewart, Chad Jenkins and Kellen Sweeney could be enough to sway the Tribe to deal Grady.

Feel free to comment.

Until next time...

--Brad

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MLS Training Camp Preview: New England Revolution

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USL-PRO Releases Playoff Format, Zings NASL

This week USL PRO continued its development as a USSF minor league by releasing its playoff schedule. Last week it had released a season schedule and division format outlining how its clubs would compete in its first year of existence as USL PRO. The playoffs will consist of three rounds, with the top three seeds [...]


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Someone Has To Say It: The Ceiling For Andy Murray Is 1

I choose to write this with Djokovic up 3-1 in the third set. This match is officially over and I feel extremely comfortable saying that. Murray will go on to lose his third Grand Slam Final, and most likely in straight sets again.

I felt Djokovic statistically and by the atmosphere going into the Final was going to win, but I did not think Murray would fall as flat as he has. After all, it was the great Federer who bested the Scot in his first two Slam Finals.

Playing on the provincial circuit, I had some veterans tell me the game of tennis is 50 percent body and 50 percent mind. I often question if there's any other sport that has as much a mental weight on the outcome as does tennis.

Being the only active male professional tennis player to hold an 0-3 Grand Slam Finals record and only the third to have that mark at any point in his career since Goran Ivanisevic is one thing, but the way in which Murray has lost these three finals just adds to the punishment his morale must have thus far suffered.

One Slam victory would not take away all of that, even if it was at Wimbledon.

Leading up to this match I read an article that stated Murray knew it would not be his last chance, but now I think, at age 23, how many opportunities will he have?

He has roughly five seasons, counting this year before he hits the wall, and only Federer has showcased a magnificent late bloomer.

I'll be bold and take away the French Open right now as a possible Slam victory. That's 14 more opportunities. Since 08, Murray has also failed to make noise at the U.S. Open.

Now we count the competition before Murray at Wimbledon and Australian Open. Nadal's state of affairs is tied to his health, let's go the satanist route and say he'll be relevant for just three more years. If he's healthy, Nadal will continue to own Wimbledon alongside Federer, and maybe Roddick will kick in.

The U.S. Open is more wide open, but Nadal is the current champ while Federer gave away two match points to reach his 7th final last year. Murray has been unable to duplicate his 08 run to any degree and if I was a betting man I'd say his chances are better at Wimbledon than in Flushing Meadows.

So now what is left, the Aussie Open? Four more opportunities? The Australian Open has, even with vast improvements in participation and public opinion, remained the unpredictable Open.

Perhaps not as much with who the Champion will be, although Safin and Djokovic surprised everyone in their victories against Federer, but many top-ranked players seem to fall earlier than expected here every season.

The hard court at the Aussie is slower than at the U.S. Open and Wimbledon and perhaps that's what gives Murray the slight advantage. His shot-making is quite superb when he's on, but he's not the fastest player on the tour.

I will be bold again here and say Murray wins his one Slam at Wimbledon, perhaps like Hewitt or Krajicek did. It will be an immense high and I think it'll tailspin Murray out of contention for a few Slams.

Then I think it'll be harder with the younger guys coming up, some of which we're probably overlooking at this very minute.

Is it a bad thing? To have Murray be a One Slam " Wonder "? Not necessarily, while Murray may be one of the lucky ones caught in the open door between Federer and Nadal's dominance and the next great one or two, it doesn't mean he has to rack up the Slams.

Not everyone can be Sampras, and not everyone can be Federer. While Murray's friend and adversary Djokovic may not win many Slams himself, Murray has failed to showcase any brilliance to come, at least at the Slams.

Seattle Sounders FC Atlanta Silverbacks Austin Aztex California Victory

2011 Under Armour Senior Bowl Studs and Duds: Who Helped/Hurt Their Draft Stock?

The Under Armour Senior Bowl is a peculiar setting.

Top prospects from a smorgasbord of different systems all over the nation are gathered and brought to Mobile, Alabama. There, they are given a very vanilla playbook, meshed together for just a week of practice and are subject to tons of national criticism.

In the grand scheme of things, all of these things make it very difficult to assess a player's overall skill set and draft stock.

For instance, former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, considered arguably the greatest college player of all time, struggled mightily in last year's Senior Bowl but was still drafted in the first round and went on to finish the season as the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos.

Nonetheless, many players, such as Washington quarterback Jake Locker (pictured above), make the trip in hopes of giving scouts an extended look at them, measuring themselves against other top talents coming out of college, and, ultimately, strengthening their draft stock.

Here is a list of some players who appeared to help, and hurt, their draft stock along the way over the last week in Mobile, Alabama.

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Pittsburgh Penguins Chicago Blackhawks Philidalphia Flyers Buffalo Sabers

PGA Merchandise Show Part 2?Drivers

No matter what your skill level, there’s no doubt you like to hit driver more than wedge.  Most everybody does. This year, there are an assortment of drivers that could be hit by pros, media members and eventually by the general public at the PGA Merchandise Show. 

Some hit during Demo Day, which was Wednesday. Some chose the hitting bays inside at the Orange County Convention center.  

Here are some of the top mentions at the show.

Begin Slideshow

Colorado Rapids FC Dallas Houston Dynamo Los Angeles Galaxy

Everton 1, Chelsea 1: The Highlights

Mississippi Brilla New Orleans Shell Shockers Atlanta Silverbacks U23\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'s Bradenton Academics

Puck Daddy's NHL All-Star Fantasy Draft Live Blog

RALEIGH, NC -- Huge crowd at the convention center for the first ever NHL All-Star Game Fantasy Draft. The players are pumped ... even if Mike Green said the captains haven't exactly discussed any sort of strategy until a few minutes before the draft.

Live bloggin' with your comments here!

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Monday's Three Stars: Quick blanks B's; Leafs upset with Gleason punch

No. 1 Star: Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings

Quick reached a career high with his fifth shutout of the season, 13th of his career, after making 34 saves in a 2-0 win over the Boston Bruins. Ryan Smyth and Andrei Loktionov each scored for the Kings who won back-to-back games for the first time since Dec. 26-27th.

No. 2 Star: Brandon Sutter, Carolina Hurricanes

Sutter had scored just once since Dec. 13th, but broke his scoring skid with two goals in the third period during a 6-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The win helps Carolina improve to 7-0-1 when Sutter scores and since rookie Jeff Skinner notched his 18th, 13-2-0 when the Calder Trophy candidate gets on the scoresheet.

No. 3 Star: Brandon Yip, Colorado Avalanche

Yip broke a 13-game goalless drought with his fourth multi-goal game of his career with a pair in Colorado's 4-3 win over the St. Louis Blues. A scoreless first period led to Yip netting his 8th and 9th goals in the second period. Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan Stoa would score in a 44 second span midway through the third period as the Avs ended a two-game slide. 

Honorable mention: Martin Biron made 22 saves and the New York Rangers scored on three of their four shootout attempts to edge the Washington Capitals 2-1. Wojtek Wolski's shootout tally mixed up Caps goalie Braden Holtby:

After spending three days in Vancouver, the Dallas Stars didn't come ready to play and it showed during a 7-1 rout by the Canucks. The Sedins combined for 5 points and Ryan Kesler scored his career high 27th goal as Vancouver ended a four-game losing streak ... Brendan Morrison scored a goal in the third straight game as the Calgary Flames won their third in a row with a 3-1 win over the Nashville Predators. Miikka Kiprusoff made 23 saves in his 500th career NHL games ... Finally, David Koci and Cam Janssen engaged in a pretty entertaining tilt:

Did you know? Monday's win was the 1,000th in the franchise history of the Carolina Hurricanes/Hartford Whalers. (AP)

Dishonorable mention: Kari Lehtonen allowed all seven Canuck goals and saw his four-game win streak snapped. It was the second straight game Dallas allowed seven goals ... While head coach Ron Wilson said it wasn't a sucker punch, many Leafs were upset with Tim Gleason's fight with Nikolai Kulemin:

From the Globe and Mail:

"I was disgusted with that," Kulemin's linemate Clarke MacArthur said. "There's certain match-ups on the ice and I don't care what [Gleason] says, you know when you're in the right match-up. A guy like Kulemin's never been a guy to fight and Gleason does it a lot. He knows better than that."

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WWE: Luke's Detailed Royal Rumble Predictions 2011

This Sunday night live in Boston, WWE produces its first PPV of 2011. It is one of the so-called 'big four' PPV's of the year, the Royal Rumble.

It has been six weeks since we were treated to a fabulous TLC PPV event which I labeled as the best PPV of 2010. Can 2011's PPV season kick off as strongly (or perhaps more so) than 2010's ended?

To be honest, I severely doubt that.

So far just four matches have been announced for the card, and of those four matches three of the them are rather easy to predict. In fact, it could be argued that the Royal Rumble itself has a very strong favourite this year as well.

If I do not get three out of the four predictions in this article right, then WWE have provided us with at least one surprise at this PPV.

WWE could have built this PPV up far better in the six weeks they have had to prepare it.

But you never know, maybe I'm talking rubbish and it'll turn out fine. I certainly hope so.

Anyway, onto the predictions... 

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New Hampshire Phantoms Ottawa Fury Rhode Island Stingrays Vermont Voltage

Americans abroad, Oguchi Onyewu injured, San Jose Earthquakes win MLS lottery, Virginia keeper signs, USA-Chile rewind

*American defender Oguchi Onyewu departed midway through the first half with an apparent back ailment during Twente's Dutch Cup victory over PSV Eindhoven. The clubs were 1-1 after 120 minutes and Twente prevailed on penalties, 7-6. ... Midfielder Maurice Edu entered midway through the second half of Rangers' 2-0 victory over Hibernian. ... Midfielder Clint Dempsey went the distance in Fulham's 1-0 loss at Liverpool. ... Jonathan Spector played 106 minutes in midfield of West Ham's Aston Villa's 3-1 loss at Birmingham in the Carling Cup (4-3 aggregate for City). *Despite holding the fifth-best odds, the San Jose Earthquakes won the rights to goalkeeping prospect David Bingham in an MLS weighted lottery. Bingham played three seasons at the nearby University of California and, if not for protracted contract negotiations, would have been available in the draft two weeks ago. Veteran Jon Busch is the San Jose incumbent starter. New England

Montreal Canadians Vancouver Canucks Los Angels Kings Atlanta Thrashers

Heavy Hitters: The Top 10 Hardest Hits and Tackles Of The 2010 NFL Season

With the Super Bowl coming up it's time to look back at some of the greatest hits of the 2010 season.

Unfortunately, the amount of huge hits hasn't been as much in recent years due to the fact that Roger Goodell has been issuing huge fines for helmet-to-helmet hits.

However, it's still been a great year, where many players have been jacked up by huge hits. It's hard to narrow it down to just ten and I know many hard hits have been left out. 

But without further ado, here's a countdown of the top ten hits this year.

Begin Slideshow

Tampa Bay Rowdies Vancouver Whitecaps Bermuda Hogges Charlotte Eagles

Jersey Fouls: Flame outs, Blue notes and R-rated sweaters

Jersey Fouls is our ongoing exploration of the rules and etiquette for proper hockey jersey creation and exhibition. If you spot what you think may be a foul in your arena, email a photo to us at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com for inclusion in future installments.

With that, the Canadianization of Pavel Bure was complete.

Matt Plotkin sends in his Vancouver Canucks Foul capture in Dallas, at an unexpected location:

A mid 90's (I believe) Canucks jersey with "Beer Eh?" where the name should be.  This comes from Dallas, TX. Not from the AA Center, mind you, but rather the midnight opening of 'Tron: Legacy' at a local movie theater.  Enjoy!

And here we thought most of the people who went to a midnight showing of "TRON: Legacy" wore faded, ill-fitting video game shirts from the 1980s. (And yes, we're still trying to figure out how to get the butter stains out of that Galaga tee ...)

Meanwhile, and to the surprise of no one that witnessed that creepy 'Getting' Jiggy With Iggy' sweater, there's another wordy and weird Jersey Foul from the Calgary Flames. Reader Steve explains:

Budget restrictions for one jersey instead of two? Possibly.

Indecision? Probably.

Chance that both these players will not be wearing the Flaming C within the next few seasons rendering this jersey as just a "It seemed like a good idea at the time"? Definitely!

Recently on Twitter, we had a prolonged debate about whether a fan can actually have "two favorite teams," with compelling arguments for and against that notion.

Let it be said that a fan can also have two favorite players ... but for the love of the Hockey Gods, not on the same sweater.These are the people who hold up the drive-thru line because "I don't know, it all looks so good"!

We'd also like to point out that these numbers add up to 46, which was Martin St. Louis' number when he started with the Flames ... and that's probably not the tribute they were going for here.

(Coming Up: A few R-rated sweater; Sidney Crosby joins the Ducks; Flames get the yips; Howie Morenz Foul; more Washington Capitals hilarity; and does a St. Louis Blues sweater improve when melded with a pink monstrosity?)

And here ... we ... go.

From Jeff M.:

Hey. So I was out at a bar after a game with my girlfriend (right) when I came across this horrendous jersey. I hate the Pink jerseys anyway, but to take one and make this abomination is horrible. Why not just get a real jersey?

We checked the Blues store and didn't see this Frankenjersey listed, so it may be an original work. Guess the real question is: Did this improve a pink jersey or degrade a Blues jersey?

Another one from Calgary, via Ted and Sylvia:

My girlfriend and I were at the Flames home opener and we spotted this affront to Calgary's best goalie. I'm guessing his last name is Yip and that he was born in 1988? Or is he an Eric Lindros fan?

Considering Miikka Kiprusoff's had the yips once or twice (or 10 times) in his career: Not cool.

Via "Gimmie A Puck" comes this Mike Modano Protest Jersey from a Dallas Stars fan who obviously did not take too kindly to Mo extending his career with the Detroit Red Wings.

A couple of Sidney Crosby-related Fouls. First up is SENSaholic:

1.) Your own name on a jersey is a foul on its own, let alone it costs an extra $90 to do it.

2.) Even though you may be born in 1987, you still don't put that # on the back of a jersey

3.) The ONLY jersey that should have #87 on it should be Pitts and have Crosby on the back

Dhaliwal goes beyond just being "your own name on the jersey," given its history.  But the real question is this: Does Crosby own '87' in the same way Mario owned '66'? Can it be assumed that any '87' is in reference to Sid?

Another Crosby Foul, from Nolan:

Recently went to SoCal from the Bay Area to watch the Pens play against the Ducks. Came across this guy that had taped up Crosby and his #87 on an old school Mighty Ducks of Anaheim jersey!  I'm sure this qualifies as a jersey foul, right?

Why yes. Yes, it certainly does.

What was it? Peer pressure? C'mon, if the Mighy Ducks taught us anything, it's that it's OK to be yourself! And that even when the sky is black, ducks fly together.

What would Jersey Fouls be without a few from the Capital of Fouls?

These Washington Capitals were captured by Larry (the Ted Leonsis "$$" jersey, spotted by more than a few fans); 'Flying Blind', who caught yet another example of unfortunate obsession in the Caps/Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry; and Kristin, who snapped this creepy David Steckel "Be Mine" jersey.

Via Dave from Philly:

"I finally got a shot of this guy standing up during one of the many goals that night.  Please note the silver mullet during your consideration of this foul..."

You kidding us? The silver mullet nearly pushed this thing into "PASS" territory.

Nearly ...

A Tribute Jersey to Los Angeles Kings defenseman Jack Johnson, with some history. From Jake Dubin:

Here is a jersey that I caught before going into the Avs/Kings preseason game at MGM this season.  A Jack Johnson jersey with the "JMFJ" nameplate.  Jack Mother F--king Johnson, that guy was nice enough to share with me.  Note: It also appears to be autographed, and the guy claimed he had anther jersey that had it "spelled out" but his buddy wouldn't let him wear it that night. 

Here's a little link to a Michigan blog going into more detail on JMFJ. (R-Rated language warning)

An important Foul submitted by Alex, via the Montreal Canadiens:

The first is a Howie Morenz sweater.  Which is the ultimate foul.  For one, he never wore the sweater.  Two, he definitely never had his name on his sweater.  Three, if you really want a Morenz sweater, at least do it without the name.  Four, wearing a sweater of a guy who played long before 95%+ current fans were born, is just plain stupid.  You never saw this guy play, therefore it is a stupid sweater to have.

The aesthetic arguments are well-founded, but c'mon: Can't we give props to a youngin' for learning a thing or two about Howie Morenz instead of rocking some Pacioretty flavor of the month sweater?

Holy smokes, we hope that wasn't a per-letter rate. From Nels G.:

This one is a little over the top.  I caught it after the Wild game.  I'm guessing it is from the inaugural season in 2000, hence the number 00, but the name...seriously?  It is "Whassupwitchewski", a play on "What's up with you...ski?"  Not sure what to make of that one.

Kindling. You should make kindling.

Finally, things get a little lewd ...

Al Gatz offers this St. Louis Blues sweater that has two more letters beyond "Full Ash." Can you guess which two?

And finally ...

Jeff K. sends over this epic Detroit Red Wings jersey that puts the 'F' in 'Foul':

I took this picture at Joe Louis last year during the playoffs against San Jose. This guy was wasted and told us how many times he's been punched for this jersey! He said he gets a mixed review on it.

The No. 37s in Red Wings history: Kris King, John Mokosak, Chris Luongo, Vincent Riendeau, Tim Taylor, Kevin Hodson, Marc Rodgers, Mikael Samuelsson, Doug Janik. In case this is the wackiest Tribute Jersey we've ever seen ...

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