A FEW THINGS...

VALIDATED
Can you believe it?!

Ralph and I have been ordained as the "Most Popular Broadcast Team in the Metroplex". (So says a poll conducted by Barry Horn of the DMN)

Not since I delivered hot dogs to the women's prison have I been this popular.

I must send a moist thank you to the Razor- lovers out there for showing how much you enjoy my frivolity. This is truly an honor I will cherish, much in the same way I did that World's Greatest Dad coffee mug from my daughter.

Thank you!

THREE WAYS TO WIN
Another day, another game, another overtime, another Shootout.

Since December 3rd the Stars have a 10-6-3 record. They have gone to overtime a staggering ten times over that span, and thus their wins have been divided into various categories; Four "wins" in Shootouts, three wins in overtime, and three garden variety wins in the regulation sixty minutes.

So, an optimist would say they have lost just 6 of 19, with points earned in 13 of those 19 games.

A pessimist would point out that the Stars have just three regulation wins in their last 19 games, have finished with more goals scored than the opposition only one more time than the opponent did, and have earned 10 of their last 23 points in either the tricked up 4 on 4 or penalty shot contest of the extra sessions.

Which one are you?

FIGHTING
The beginning of the end of fighting in hockey occurred on January 2nd when Don Sanderson died from a head injury incurred when his helmetless head struck the ice during a fight. Sanderson's helmet came off during the scrap but a lot of fighters will remove their helmets prior to the punch-ups to avoid unnecessarily damaging knuckles - a sort of code among todays young pugilists.

Debates have raged in Canada over the merits of allowing fighting in hockey ever since the tragic incident, and the OHL just made the bold move of legislating suspensions to players who remove helmets prior to a scrap.

Eventually it is going to be abolished - liability and lawyers will dictate that - not fans or combatants.

Personally I'm all for brain power finding ways to move the game of hockey forward but I also feel the amber light of caution should be flashed at anyone who thinks you can completely de-risk a brutally physical contact sport like hockey. NASCAR can't stop accidents, but they can help drivers survive them. That's what the focus should be for hockey - protect the fighters as best you can but at the same time be wary that if you eradicate fighting in hockey what ends up filling fighting's vacuum might be even worse.

OVERRATED
Is it just me or is NHL darling and Reebok pitchman Sidney Crosby just a really good player and not a superhuman, best of breed, sport transfer?

Maybe he's getting more pressure than praise.

Whatever is at work, I just expected more domination and must-see moments from the "Next One". His young, flashy Russian rivals seem to have cornered the market on that.

Sid the Kid - more hat than cattle so far.