Video: Don't Stop Believin' in awkward hockey player group dances

Every season, the Wichita Falls Wildcats (of this recent chaotic line brawl) participate in a charity weekend that includes a "jerseys off our backs" auction to benefit the Children's Miracle Network. Part of the fun is watching different players entertain the crowd in their own unique way to encourage bidding.

Well, in the interest of time, the North American Hockey League players decided to combine their powers for a performance of Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" that's as clumsily awkward as it is surreal. Or are we the only ones who saw that hot dog slide through a penguin's legs as he played air guitar on a hockey stick?

Ladies and gents, your Wichita Falls Wildcats.

Some will win. Some will lose. Some were born to be half-naked in a kick-line on hockey skates.

The team raised over $20,000 for the CMN this season; no word how much was pledged to simply make them stop.

Congratulations to goalie Eric Garavaglia (29), forward Tanner Fahlstedt (11), forward Jason McAloon (15) and forward Nick Marsh (hot dog). But we're going to have to give the Hart Trophy to defenseman Joe Adams for his performance in a penguin suit, which really tied the routine together and gave us flashbacks to Billy Madison.

With that, we ask: What in the name of Rogers and Hammerstein has gotten into minor league hockey players this season? The Belfast Giants dance to Mariah. The Cincinnati Cyclones rap to "I'm On a Boat." And now we have this ass-slapping, costume-wearing, seemingly Improv-based retelling of "Don't Stop Believin'" by the Wildcats.

Who knew the influence of "Score: The Hockey Musical!" would be so far-reaching?

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so you want to be a soccer writer?
Stay in the game long enough, doing whatever it is that keeps you afloat, and you?re bound to get the email ? how do I become a soccer writer? How do I make money off my website? They come from kids and adults, from established bloggers and newly [...]

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Denver Nuggets: Future Looks Bright Early Post-'Melo

After a summer and first half of the season rife with incessant supposition, analysis and media attention concerning the status of Carmelo Anthony, last week the Denver Nuggets finally made the decision to trade the unhappy superstar to his preferred destination, the New York Knicks.

The opinion of Denver's haul in return for Anthony, veteran Chauncey Billups and spare parts (young wings Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler, cost-effective lead man Ray Felton, seven-footer Timofey Mozgov and draft picks, plus added financial flexibility) varied depending on what NBA expert or fan you talked to.

After four games with this new crew of Nuggets, though, views on the trade from Denver's perspective have taken an upward trajectory toward positive.

Why? Despite the team's gaudy 3-1 record Post-Melo (hereafter referred to as P.M.), its the collective attitude, energy and youthful exuberance of the new-look Nuggets that has Denver and its fans smiling.  

Gone with the trade are awkward cheers for an unhappy Anthony, stern but polite media posturing from players and the feeling that wins are irrelevant in the long run.

Denver is playing an exciting new brand of basketball, players are happy to be a part of it and the Nuggets, though left for dead P.M. this season by prognosticators, look poised to challenge for a playoff spot in the loaded Western Conference.

How is this group of ragtag players excelling? It begins with the most most surprising aspect of the new Nuggs: they've been stellar on defense in three games P.M. with their new acquisitions in tow.

First, the Nuggets held perennial power and championship favorite Boston to a mere 75 points and 39 percent shooting while out-rebounding the Celtics by 14.  

A day later on the road in Portland, Denver lost an overtime heart-breaker by one, but kept the Blazers to just 97 points in regulation, a commendable feat considering the home team's prowess at the raucous Rose Garden.

Finally, last night the Nuggets dominated the playoff-bound Hawks, forcing them to 40 percent shooting and just 90 points.  

Clearly, P.M. Denver has early returns of being vastly superior on defense to the team that ranked in the league's bottom third of defensive efficiency.  

Coach George Karl has a litany of quick, long and bouncy athletes at his disposal in his deep new rotation, and he is using it to the Nuggets' great advantage on that end of the floor.

Offensively, Denver's barely missed a beat despite losing the awesome talent and production of the Anthony/Billups tandem.  

The Nuggets have averaged 104 points per game and shot 46.3 percent from the field P.M., both numbers just shy of their season-long average, but still among the league's leaders.  

Denver need not worry about the smallest slippage on offense, though, because their increased defensive acumen (if maintained, of course) makes the margin for error on the other end greater.

In other words, the Nuggets' immediate improvement in stopping their opponents gives them more time to integrate new and important pieces Gallinari, Wilson and Felton into their offensive schemes and sets.

Simply, this Nuggets team is much better P.M. than anyone anticipated.  

They have one of the deepest and most athletic rosters in the entire league, with two talented young PGs (Ty Lawson is the other, a potential star), a bevy of wing scorers, an imposing and physical front-court (led by Nene) and solid defenders at every position.

Plus, the team's most talented and valuable members of their nine-man rotation are 28 or younger.  

Denver, despite their impressive P.M. beginnings, will likely serve as nothing more than a playoff road-bump for one of the West's best this spring.  

However, the collective youth, talent and attitude of these Nuggets, combined with stable finances going into the summer, make Denver's future undeniably bright P.M., a far cry from where most thought they'd be just a few weeks ago.

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SoB 'Stache Bash

- Keith Hickey

Hey there, soccer fans! You know how the Sons of Ben are better fans than the people in your supporters group? Well it turns out they're also better people. (Editor's Note: The opinions of Keith Hickey do not necessarily reflect those of the management.)

Every fall, the Sons of Ben run a program called "Help Kick Hunger," taking donations of canned goods and money to benefit the Bernardine Center, a food bank in Chester, the city where PPL Park is located.

In addition to the fall program, the SoBs are doing a special fundraising event for the 2011 home opener. For the sake of a bad inside joke, the theme is Mustaches: The 'Stache Bash.

Featured at the Sons of Ben tailgate will be various themed carnival games; guess the number of mustaches in the jar, a mustachioed kissing booth, pin the 'stache on the Jeremy, mustache waxing, mustache painting for the non facially-hirsute, and the worryingly-named "mustache rides."

Not blessed to live in the Philadelphia metropolitan area? You can help by investing in the latest fashion. $8.50 from each shirt goes to HKH.

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Puck Headlines: Waiver wire shockers; Brad Richards update

Here are your Puck Headlines: a glorious collection of news and views collected from the greatest blogosphere in sports and the few, the proud, the mainstream hockey media.

• "Blues Lose To Avalanche, Ruin 8-Year-Old's Birthday."

• Waiver wire madness! Calgary Flames put Ales Kotalik, Buffalo Sabres put Craig Rivet, Philadelphia Flyers put Nikolai Zherdev, Nashville Predators put Marek Svatos and New York Islanders put Jeremy Colliton on waivers. Rivet's an interesting name for contenders as a last-pairing option. [McKenzie]

• On the Zherdev front, Frank Seravalli had this: "General manager Paul Holmgren said Zherdev and his agent, Jay Grossman, requested that they try and find something else. Holmgren said there was not much interest in way of a trade. 'It had eroded to the point where they wanted to see what else is out there.'" [Frequent Flyers and more from Philly Sports Daily]

• Chris Burton on the Svatos move: "My guess is that either a forward is getting healthy (likely Goc) or a minor move is in the works. For now, though, let's wait and see." [On The Forecheck]

• For Rivet, via the Buffalo News: "Would someone pick up the veteran at this point? We'll see. If he goes unclaimed, that's when things get interesting. A buyout? An assignment to Portland? Rivet, by the way, was on the ice early for today's morning skate." [Sabres Edge]

• TSN's Darren Dreger on the Brad Richards issue for the Dallas Stars: "Sources say Dallas Stars general manager Joe Nieuwendyk is exploring interest in Brad Richards. The New York Rangers are believed to be among as many as six teams who have recently discussed the star centre's potential availability. This news doesn't mean Nieuwendyk has decided to trade Richards, who remains sidelined with concussion symptoms, but given the Stars' five-game losing skid and drop to 11th in the conference, trading Richards has become a strong possibility." [TSN]

• Mike Heika fires back on Stars Blog: "There are a lot of rumors out there, and Nieuwendyk would not talk about any of them, but I get the feeling it would take a huge offer for Richards to be traded. The Stars believe they can win with this lineup and they believe they can eventually re-sign Richards if they get a new owner." [Stars Blog]

• Cheer up, Gloomy Gus: Marian Gaborik's concussion might actually be a good thing for the New York Rangers. [The Blueshirts and Beyond]

• On the Pittsburgh Penguins trade front, Rob Rossi sees Corey Stillman being an option. Didn't we do this dance with Ray Whitney last season? [Chipped Ice]

• Finally! Coach Q's Mustache! Has Come Back To Chicago Practice! [ESPN Chicago]

• Seriously, no matter what happens, congrats to Ray Emery for making it back to the NHL with his call-up to the Anaheim Ducks. Hell of an achievement. Meanwhile, Jonas Hiller thinks he has vertigo. Countdown to Alfred Hitchcock Photoshops in 3 ... 2 ... [Ducks Blog]

• The National Hockey League is denying a Bloomberg report from Seoul that it is in talks with YouTube to stream live games. Asked about the report based on comments by Google executives, an NHL spokesperson said that "while Google is a valued partner, the NHL has never had any discussions with YouTube to stream live games." [Paid Content]

• Rick Dudley re-ups with the Atlanta Thrashers for a four-year extension. [Buffalo News]

• Really interesting stuff from Brooks Laich on The Sports Junkies radio show (via Caps Insider) regarding Bruce Boudreau and "losing the room": "Rightfully or wrongfully, this all falls on Bruce, [people say] he's not motivating the guys, well we're professionals, paid a lot of money to play hockey. If you can't motivate yourself, you're in the wrong business. You don't need somebody telling you, 'Oh, you need to be up for this game.' We're professionals that love to do what we do. There's no problem with motivation." [Capitals Insider]

• Capitals re-sign Matt Hendricks to a two-year, $1.6 million extension. [Japers' Rink]

• What in the World Is Wrong with Jamie Langenbrunner? [Bleacher Report via LA Times. Yes, seriously]

• Marco Sturm is back for the Los Angeles Kings. [Kings]

• Ten prospects that could move at the deadline, including Brayden Schenn. [The Hockey Writers]

• In Lou We Trust offers a hand guide to the trade deadline and the rumors business. [ILWT]

• Interesting stuff from Sports Illustrated, on the "Redemption of Mike Danton." [SI]

• More good news for the NHL on NBC and VERSUS: "NBC Sports and VERSUS generated viewership milestones for the combined nine hours of hockey coverage this past Sunday with the inaugural ‘Hockey Day in America' on NBC followed by the 2011 Heritage Classic on VERSUS. NBC Sports' coverage of Penguins-Blackhawks, the second game of "Hockey Day in America" which went head-to-head with the Daytona 500, was watched by 1.9 million viewers, making it the most-watched non-Winter Classic NHL regular-season game in five years (1/14/06, three-game regional on NBC, 2.0 million). The game also posted a 1.1 rating, tied with last year's Penguins-Capitals (2/7) for the highest regular-season non-Winter Classic NHL game in four years (3/4/07, three-game regional on NBC, 1.2). The game peaked at a 1.9 rating for its final half hour. Viewership for Sunday's NHL regional coverage on NBC is not yet available."

• Brian Elliott joins the Avalanche and will start Wednesday night. [NHL]

• Flyers GM Paul Holmgren calls out Scottie Upshall for his hit on Oskars Bartulis on Tuesday night: "It was a late hit, and depending on how Oskars is, yes, I have a little bit of a problem with it. It's not really like Scottie to do that." [Delaware Online]

• The Boston Bruins have Shane Hnidy trying out for them, hoping to catch on for their blue line. Good player; just don't expect to see him play Hnight after Hnight. [Bruins Blog]

• Gruesome story about a fight during a game in which a goalie's paddle was used "like a baseball bat" to pummel a player. [Taunton Daily Gazette]

• Finally, it's Craig Conroy vs. Rolfe The Promo Guy in Wii NHL Slap Shot:

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Why a hockey announcer suspended himself for homerism

The frustration was building in Mike Hickey's voice. Complaining about a dive by the visiting Topeka RoadRunners that he felt led to a needless penalty. Griping about rough play that targeted his Springfield Junior Blues. At one point, Hickey simply couldn't hold back any longer, screaming down to the ice:

"In the middle! With the long hair! Jerk! Greasy little punk!"

With Hickey's deep, bellowing voice, chances are many in the crowd at Saturday night's North American Hockey League (Jr. A) game at The Nelson Center in Springfield, Ill., heard him.

The problem? So did everyone watching a live stream of the Blues game online, which included a good number of RoadRunners fans.

That's because while Mike Hickey was acting like a passionate fan in the stands, he was actually the play-by-play announcer behind the microphone, broadcasting the action on the pay-per-view hockey site FastHockey.com, which carries NAHL games.

It was homerism in its rawest form. The viewers knew it, as RoadRunners fans emailed their team's front office to complain about the "greasy punk" comment -- which RoadRunners fans claimed was directed at their coach/GM Scott Langer -- and subsequent comments that called the franchise "disgusting" and the coach "a goon."

But Hickey knew it too, which led to a remarkable moment in his "coach's corner" video segment a day later: Hickey offered both a profuse apology and an announcement that he was stepping away from the broadcast booth for an undetermined period of time.

It's a video that's as emotional and memorable as any of his cheap seats taunts, but for completely different reasons.

Looking back at his behavior, it's easy to see why Hickey was professionally red-faced, even if nothing he said crossed lines of slander or bad taste.

Three minutes after the "greasy punk," Hickey let loose again on a non-call for holding:

"Oh, c'mon, you can't hold! [Silence] Oh, boy. That's one way to get around him: Hold your opponent until your teammate can get by. This game is deteriorating into a love-fest. Typical Topeka game. Let's go Blues."

The gripes continued through the end of the period, which featured a handful of brawls:

"We got another period of this. And with Topeka's history, it's only going to get worse. ...

"They're disgusting. You heard it here first. They're disgusting. But the Junior Blues will take care of business, I gar-run-tee."

With the teams in the dressing rooms and the microphone still on, Hickey could be heard saying the following to an unidentified woman:

"What a bunch of goons, starting with the head coach on down."

Chris Kolb, the business manager for the Junior Blues, said it was an emotional moment that got away from Hickey. "We all screw up sometimes. Say something you regret. Bite your tongue," he said.

On Monday, the indignation in Hickey's voice was replaced by that regret. His Coach's Corner program on UStream featured this statement (beginning at the 58-second mark; hit the smaller "play" button on the player below.):

Video streaming by Ustream

His comments, for the video impaired:

"During the Fasthockey broadcast on Saturday night, I usually have a very high standard that I operate by. Unfortunately, I crossed the line into an area that should have never been crossed. I'm a very passionate person about hockey and the Springfield Junior Blues. However, there is absolutely no excuse for my actions of Saturday night.

"Since that game, I've reflected, and I'm very remorseful, not only on what I said during the broadcast but also the lack of professionalism on my part. In a moment of stupidity, I said some very nasty things about coach Langer and the Topeka RoadRunners and their fans that are totally untrue. It's not what I believe about their coach or their organization. It showed a total lack of respect toward Topeka, coach Langer, and the very fine fans of that city. Not only did I disrespect them but, in doing so, I disrespected the Springfield Junior Blues, and I feel very badly about that. I've always held myself to a high standard. This time I didn't reach it.

"I'm ashamed of my idiotic and crass behavior, and I extend an apology to coach Langer and all concerned."

He went on to praise Langer's coaching record, apologize again and then said he would "step outside of the broadcast booth" for a time to reflect and refocus.

Kolb said the Junior Blues organization didn't pressure Hickey into making the statement, and that it was done independently. An NAHL official couldn't say if the league stepped in on the issue or not.

Kolb said that Hickey, who is around 67 years old, is a valuable member of the Junior Blues family. "Hickey's a great guy. He houses six of our players. His wife volunteers. He just got caught up in the game a little bit and it's blown out of proportion," he said.

He said the apology may have made a difference. "I got an email from someone [from Topeka] who watched the apology and said they understood," said Kolb.

Every franchise, in every town, in every sport has probably had a homer announcer pass through its booth; whether it's Jack Edwards mocking Flyers fans on a Boston Bruins broadcast or this guy (see second video) screaming from the broadcast table that the opposing goaltender is a "wuss" for not fighting.

But there's a difference between complaining about a dive (where Hickey started) and running down a coach and organization (where he ended).

It was a classless moment for Hickey. But in a culture that sees classless behavior unapologetically accepted or given a perfunctory request for forgiveness by those who cross the line, Hickey not only expressed heartfelt regret but took personal responsibility for his actions; and that apology from an embarrassed announcer will linger longer in the minds of fans more than any crass statement made in the heat of the moment.

Stick tap to Navyguy5735 for the tip.

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Floyd Mayweather Vs. Manny Pacquiao: Will the Desired Fight Happen This Year?

In recent days, Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s uncles Jeff and Roger Mayweather, who form part of his fighting team, have been issuing statements which may be construed as a prelude to a possible Pacquiao-Mayweather clash before the year is over.

In addition to the usual venomous statements about Manny Pacquiao's alleged use of performance enhancing drugs (PEDs), Roger and Jeff, who were both professional boxers in their prime years, have been sending signals about Floyd's immediate fight plans.

In a report by Percy Crawford of Fighthype.com, Floyd's uncle Jeff said he's been talking to Floyd and that there is a possibility of a fight. He said he knows Floyd has been talking to the daughter of Africa's famous ex-president Nelson Mandela, who is an avid boxing fan, about a possible fight in South Africa.

It may be recalled that Floyd was considering fighting Paul Spadafora, who was rumored to have beaten Floyd badly in a recent sparring session.

In 2004, Mayweather was set to fight Spadafora at Madison Square Garden in New York, but the fight did not push through on objections by the New York State Athletic Commission as Spadafora had no license to fight in the state.

At that time, Spadafora was awaiting trial, stemming from the Oct. 26 shooting of his girlfriend in suburban Pittsburgh.

It seems Mayweather is again eying a fight with Spadafora which could take place in South Africa, as mentioned by Jeff Mayweather. It could be held this May and will serve as Floyd's tune-up match for his most awaited fight with pound-for-pound king Pacquiao.

"Having just turned 34, you can be certain Floyd is plotting a way to regain his lost status as a boxing icon. He and his team of advisors want back into the money-making business, however it appears HBO is adamantly against televising Floyd against any more of disadvantaged handpicked opponents", said Scoop Malinoski of boxinginsider.com

Scoop thinks Mayweather's team will try something that they will sell to HBO and the public, and the way to do it would be to stage the fight in South Africa, whose ex-leader Nelson Mandela is celebrating his 92nd birthday this year.

Obviously the event will be a worldwide media hit, given Mandela's worldwide popularity, but Scoop is doubtful Mandela would allow himself to be used.

Scoop has other theories including those related to the choice of opponents, and they sound real and worth looking into.

Still, Mayweather will have to sort out his legal problems even as he prepares for a tune-up fight in the next few months.

Boxing fans are saying the undefeated boxer stands to lose his second spot in the Ring's top 10 pound-for-pound list if he fails to fight in three months. If this happens, he will lose a lot of credibility and risk his name being taken out of the list for good.

With the recent pronouncements coming from Floyd and his team, a year-end fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather, Jr. may not be a remote possibility.

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