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December 5, 2011
The Hockey News has been providing the most comprehensive coverage of the world of hockey since 1947. In each issue, you'll find news, features and opinions about the NHL and leagues across North America and the world.
Howard’s Finest Hour
CENTRAL The newest father on the Detroit Red Wings is also their saving grace. Goaltender Jimmy Howard became a dad for the first time in October when his wife Rachel gave birth to a son, James Russell Howard IV. Howard the proud papa is learning on the job, seeking wisdom from his veteran teammates. “Just sleep when you can,” he listed as the most common advice he’s received. Howard the NHL netminder, however, didn’t develop via trial and error. He spent four seasons in the American League before receiving the keys to Detroit’s future in 2009-10. Glib and rarely rattled, Howard has proven to be like the sedans produced in the Motor City by the Big Three automakers – safe and reliable. That sort of description suits Howard, who considers consistency to be…
PHILING OUT
ALL RIGHT, STOP WHAT YOU’RE DOING, ’CAUSE I’M ABOUT TO RUIN THE IMAGE AND STYLE THAT YOU’RE USED TO. AT LEAST, AS FAR AS IT PERTAINS TO PHIL KESSEL. BUT TO BE HONEST, I’M NOT THE ONE WHO HAS CHANGED THE PERCEPTION OF THE MAPLE LEAFS RIGHT WINGER. ALTHOUGH SOME IN THE HOCKEY WORLD LAMPOONED HIM AS RECENTLY AS LAST SEASON, THE 24-YEAR-OLD KESSEL, IN CONCERT WITH HIS FAST, YOUTHFUL, SURPRISINGLY RESILIENT TORONTO TEAMMATES, HAS BEEN THE AUTHOR OF HIS OWN REPLY. IN THE PUBLIC EYE, the 2011 NHL All-Star Game might have been Kessel’s career nadir. You can argue that Kessel’s numbers at the time (19 goals and 34 points in 49 games) hardly merited a low point, but think of it the way all the naysayers in the hockey…
BEHIND the Name!
LOCK YOUR DOORS. PULL DOWN YOUR BLINDS. The Wheeling Nailers are coming to town. The Nailers sound like a motorcycle gang, but we all know they’re an ECHL team. In a way, though, the comparison isn’t far off. The Nailers, like a group of bearded, leather-clad riders, depend on tough, reliable steel. Wheeling, W.Va., is an epicenter of nail manufacturing, so it’s no wonder Ohio resident C.J. Wickham won the nickname contest for the 1996-97 season when he suggested the Nailers. The most noteworthy NHLers to have played for Wheeling are, ahem, tough as nails, including Chicago super-pest Dan Carcillo and the NHL’s reigning penalty-minutes champ, Ottawa enforcer Zenon Konopka. Even Washington goalie Tomas Vokoun did his hard time with Wheeling in 1995-96, when the team’s moniker was the Thunderbirds. It’s no wonder…
Pounce On The Publicity
The NBA lockout dragged into mid-November and the basketball world continued to tick off cancelled calendar dates, not to mention legions of fans. The NHL of course knows the pain of a prolonged labor fight that stretches into the regular season, which is why the hockey world at large must be aware of just how important this year is and do all it can to galvanize a permanent place in America’s Big Four. And that means not overreacting when something controversial happens. There will be bumps along the road and the NHL can’t go into shell mode when the spotlight’s a’ shining. Timing is on hockey’s side right now. The basketball lockout comes in an era where Internet punditry is at an all-time high and the influence of such outlets is…
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