In an interesting twist of fate, Colorado Avlanche center and captain Joe Sakic sustained multiple injuries to his hand while using a snowblower. The Denver Post reports that:

“Sakic reached inside the “auger” of the snowblower to remove snow. The machine’s power was off when he tried to fix it, according to the team. According to the consumer products safety commission, snowblower injuries are common.”

That may be true, however I doubt that is of any comfort to the Avalanche or their fans while Sakic is sidelined three months with three broken fingers and severe tendon damage.

While it’s reported that the snowblower was not on when the incident occured, you can’t help but wonder why Sakic was sticking his six-million-dollar hands inside a snowblower. Next time Joe, just pay the next door neighbor’s kid to shovel your sidewalk.

The NHL season has started and as usual, I’m refusing to follow the sport outside of Fantasy Hockey and the playoffs, which don’t get started until April. But after reading about this hockey story on With Leather, I knew I had to write about it myself. It appears that a hockey game in Sweden was rescued delayed by, get this, a shower of dildos on the ice.

Fans of Stockholm team AIK directed their heckling at Jan Huokko, a Leksand player whose cell phone was stolen earlier this year. Of course, the phone contained explicit images and video of him and his girlfriend fornicating. The video spread around the Swedish Interwebs. AIK’s unofficial supporter website urged fans to bring dildos to the game to remind Huokko of the scandal.

Before Tuesday’s match even started, AIK fans had already littered the ice with dozens of dildos, causing a slight delay as crews worked to clear the sex toys from the playing surface.

AIK fans also unfurled a banner reading “Bend over bitch!”, which was accompanied by a giant inflatable penis.

“We’d also heard mention of it, but we decided that it would only be worse if we went out and told the fans they were absolutely not allowed to throw dildos on the ice,” said AIK club head Mats Hedenström to the newspaper.

Why, of course. One of my biggest pet peeves at sporting events is when the team’s front office cockblocks my plans to shower the field with sex toys. I brought these anal beads to throw onto the field, damnit! What the hell am I gonna do with this 36-pack of Trojans? Not throw them at Travis Henry? Unacceptable!

Big thanks to Marcus up at EA Canada for hooking us up with a review copy.

I’ve never disguised my persistent love-hate relationship with many EA Sports titles. From Madden to FIFA, EA Sports has consistently frustrated me by annoying glitches and gameplay. However, if one EA Sports title has it right, it’s NHL 09. Flying under the radar because of other titles, this game delivers not only an authentic hockey experience, but one that is truly a blast to play.

Following in the footsteps of the Madden/NCAA Football titles, NHL 09 features an all-new “Be a Pro Mode.” While I haven’t dove incredibly deep into the mode, it has enormous potential. After creating your very own toothless goon, you’re dumped into a team’s affiliate in the AHL, forcing you to work up the ranks all the way into the NHL. But unlike Madden and NCAA, NHL’s pro mode forces users to play with a little more strategy. Because it’s impossible to skate around for 60 minutes, it’s up to you to manage line changes to keep your player fresh. 

But your pro doesn’t have to be all about the glory. For every sniper, there’s a handful of ungraceful grinders that do nothing but kick ass and take names while on the ice. If scoring goals, winning fame and having sex with hot women isn’t your style, feel free to play as a grinder while sporting a mullet.

But that’s not all. One of the best parts about Be a Pro mode is the ability to take your player online and form a team with other users’ created characters. Have some friends with their own pro creations? Why not join forces and destroy skulls online? With NHL 09’s EA Sports Hockey League (EASHL), it’s possible to create teams of up to 50 players and join the league. A similar innovation is being used in this year’s installment of FIFA, which should promise an absolute shit show of 10 vs. 10 fun.

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Hockey fans everywhere fell in love with the first ever Winter Classic last January in Buffalo, where 71,217 people packed into Ralph Wilson Stadium. They loved it so much that they are bringing the event for another go-around next season in Chicago, where the Blackhawks will host the Stanley Cup champion Detriot Red Wings.

Fantastic idea! The game last year between Pittsburgh and Buffalo was sold-out and the ending was superb. I have always been a fan of trying out new things in sports and I feel like this could become an annual staple for the league. They would obviously have to keep the Winter Classic game in the midwest or eastern state, but finding a city within the league shouldn’t be that difficult. I would love to see the Rangers play the Devils at the Meadowlands in Giants Stadium.

Wrigley has never hosted a hockey game before, but the Chicago Bears did play a game at the friendly confines awhile back. Blackhawks officials belive this is a great way to get Chicago hockey fans back in the mood. The Blackhawks have put together a nice group of young players to compete, but they need the help of their fans to get back to their past glory.

Chalk this up as another good improvement for the NHL since coming back from the lockout. The league has to continue to attract fans and this is certainly a great event to put hockey back on the map. The only drawback for the Blackhawks and their fans is that they have to face the reigning Stanley Cup champions.

First off let me give credit to Awful Announcing for finding this gem. In this short clip you will see Mike Rupp of the New Jersey Devils simply calling out Rangers defender Paul Mara after Mara started a fight in game 2 of the series. If you haven’t heard of Rupp before, he loves to get involved in brawls. This time around however, Rupp just tells Para what he really thinks about him.

On this slow sports day, it was imperative that we find a YouTube video. This one comes to us from Parlayer and consists of? a mom screaming profanity during a youth hockey game. It’s not for the faint of heart and it’s not for someone whose speakers are at full blast. Nevertheless, it’s incredibly enjoyable.