Winger, Brian Gionta, will be out of the Montreal Canadiens lineup indefinitely due to a broken foot.    This isn’t great news for the team, obviously, but coach Jacques Martin is hoping it will inspire the rest of the Habs to step up their effort.

image: TSN

“The players will have to raise their game to try to make up for it,” coach Jacques Martin said. “It opens a door for someone. We’ve been waiting for that since the start of the season.”

Gionta is tied with fellow newcomer, Mike Cammalleri, for the most goals on the team (8) and was signed to a five-year, $25 million contract.  He’s got 13 points in 19 games so I’m sure he’s going to be missed on the ice.

Almost every hockey fan has seen a seriously bad call made by the officiators but this one is probably the worst I’ve seen in a long time.
The Detroit Red Wings were looking for a game-tying goal and they got it.  The only problem was that it was deemed a non-goal and I can’t understand how anyone could make this call.  It’s clearly in the net, fricking Alex Auld has to scoop in and dig it out and they still claim it wasn’t conclusive?  It’s pretty obvious that it was a goal but the Red Wings ended up losing 3-1 and …read more

Jose Theodore left his team to fly back to Washington for personal reasons.  They take on the New York Rangers tonight and will have Semyon Varlamov between the pipes but have called up Michal Neuvirth from the AHL to serve as a backup.
The Washington Capitals did not elaborate on what is going on with Theodore but, considering how much he’s been through over the years, it really could be anything.   Let’s review:

His dad and brothers pleaded guilty a few years ago on loansharking charges, among other things.
His father-in-law, a well-known Quebec music producer, was convicted on serious child molestation charges
Theo …read more

I’m guessing Markus Naslund didn’t enjoy the retired life since he’s reactivated himself and will be joining Modo, his first pro club.  He seems to be done with the NHL after 15 years so I hope he enjoys himself over in Europe.
It would appear that Peter Forsberg’s announcement about playing for Modo was a motivator for Naslund who said: “I will do anything to get in shape and hope I can add something on the ice, but as everybody understands it’s not just to get on the ice and perform.  I’m really looking forward to play with Modo again and …read more

I have to confess – I didn’t watch most of Battle of the Blades partly out of embarrassment since everyone else in my house thought it was lame and partly because I’ve just been so flipping busy.  Either way, I have been keeping an eye on it since it’s really like Dancing With the Stars but on ice, featuring former hockey players.
Last night, the winner was crowned and, apparently, it was no surprise to the show’s many viewers (it did so well that CBC is ordering up a second season!).

Olympic pairs gold-medalist, Jamie Sale, and ex-Oiler/Hocker Night in Canada commentator, …read more

The Vancouver Canucks have had a rough start to the season after the roster dwindled when star players got injured.  Among them is Daniel Sedin, who has now missed his 17th game with a fractured foot, his first major injury in his nine-year NHL career.

He and his twin brother, Henrik, have spent their careers with the Canucks and have consistently put up almost identical stats so when Daniel got knocked out of the lineup, a lot of people wondered what would happen to Henrik.  They usually work in tandem with Henrik setting up good plays and Daniel scoring but now …read more

Carrie Underwood has been dating Ottawa Senators player, Mike Fisher, for almost a year now and it seems like the relationship is still going strong.  She sat down for an interview on In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts and talked about how her life has changed since leaving her small town and winning American Idol. 
Among the topics, of course, was her love life.  She has dated NFL star Tony Romo and actor Chace Crawford while under the microscope of the media but she’s really done a good job of keeping her relationship with Fisher under wraps.
Carrie explained that they …read more

It’s tough to lose a player from the lineup but I’m sure the Chicago Blackhawks were particularly unhappy to learn that Dave Bolland would be on the injured reserve for 3-4 months.
The 23-year-old center had to have surgery to repair a herniated disk in his back.  In 13 games this season, he had two goals and four assists.  He wasn’t exactly on fire but you never know how someone’s game is going to progress through a season and now we just won’t know.

I’m surprised he waited this long, though, since he’s complained with back issues for a couple years and …read more

As a Calgary Flames fan, I’ve had a really hard time watching goaltender, Miikka Kiprusoff, go from this incredible talent with so much promise, to a struggling player.  I realize that he was exceptionally good when he joined the team but I never figured it was a fluke.  I also know that he had a hard time with Mike Keenan as the head coach over the past couple seasons since their tension was visibly obvious which is pretty significant considering how reserved Kipper is.

When they announced that Brent Sutter would be coming over from the New Jersey Devils, I was …read more

Jean-Sebastien Giguere has recovered from the groin pull he suffered late last month and, while he recuperated, Jonas Hiller started the last six games but, unlike Carey Price, Giguere has made it very clear that he wants his #1 spot back and he’d go to extreme measures to avoid being anyone’s backup.

“I’d rather retire than be a backup goalie,” Giguere said. “Something needs to happen. You get a guy like (Hiller) that’s going to be a free agent at the end of the year and myself, making the money I’m making, either I’m leaving or he’s leaving.  I want to …read more