Do you dare? I warn you, this blog will amaze you, disgust you, and maybe even make you cry (okay, so hopefully not that last one). But! Consider yourself warned…and make sure to stop by next week…if, of course, you can handle it!

March 7 – March 13, 2010:

In a week that sees teams fight for that desperate eighth spot at the same time as teams already clinching their division, you know it’s going to be a thrilling week. And that’s what we have for you today. We’ve got everything from must-see hockey fights, to a campaign against Barack Obama, to the most yummy rendition of the Stanley Cup…ever.  Enjoy.

THE GOOD:

Gold- The Bruins did it again. And no, I don’t mean give up yet another lead in their typical heartbreaking fashion. This, my friends, is the next piece to what is quite possibly the single greatest video series in the NHL: Bruins Hockey Rules. The Bruins Bear does it once again—check out his thoughts on ‘beating the traffic’ at the game:

Silver- With a mere 2.1 seconds left, Chris Pronger shocks the world. Er, at least the Chicago Blackhawks and the hockey world. After finding themselves down 2-1 late into the 3^rd period, Philly tied it up with 2:04 left in the game, and this game looked like it was destined for overtime. But Pronger had other plans. Like scoring this fantastic goal to steal that coveted extra point:

Bronze- Canucks’ goaltender Andrew Raycroft simply makes a miraculous save. Enjoy it folks, because this save only comes once in a very, very long time:

Oh yeah, and Raycroft is a backup. Wow.

Honorable Mention- Sharks’ Joe Pavelski scores a goal, but this one should count for about 5, it’s so damn good:

THE BAD:

Gold- The NHL GM’s finally agree to ban hits to the head. It’s about time. Why is this bad, you may ask? Well, just check out this next one and you’ll see exactly why…

Silver- Penguins’ Matt Cooke has just a disgusting hit on Bruins’ superstar Marc Savard….and doesn’t get suspended. That’s right, just hours after the GM’s agreed to ban hits to the head, the NHL announced that it wasn’t going to suspend Cooke. Seriously…are you kidding me? Check out this hit, and you tell me what should have gone down:

Oh, and it only gets worse Bruins fans, for it looks like this one will take him Savard for the season too.

Bronze- U.S. and Buffalo goaltender Ryan Miller and the hockey gods just can’t seem to patch up their friendship. In his return to Buffalo after the heartbreaking silver medal at the Olympics, Miller put up a fantastic 34-save performance…but still lost. Ya gotta feel it for this guy. To continue putting up stunning performances like these—and still lose—well, this guy deserves a lot of credit. But c’mon…how can anyone, even the best goaltender in the world, save a beauty like this one:

Honorable Mention- Okay, forget the Health Care bill…this should be priority #1—President Barack Obama has to become a Capitals fan. In a campaign to “Barack the Red” (a parody on the Caps’ “Rock the Red”), the Capitals have seen Obama don the White Sox hats, throw out first pitches, draw up an NCAA bracket, and even design an NFL commercial. But it’s about time for that to change. Change we can believe in, you say? Come on, Mr. President…it’s hockey time.

THE UGLY:

Gold- Now this is just sick. The Caps clinched the division this week…the division! Yes, with about a month left to play, the Caps don’t really have to play for much, now do they? And you wonder why the East is so bad this year…Exhibit A: the Southeast division. Oh yeah, and Ovi got a game misconduct…AGAIN:

Don’t look now, but it’s his third of the year. Oh by the way—no one else in the league has more than one. Some Olympic frustation maybe, Ovi?

Silver- Your fight of the week:

Bronze- If you think the Super Bowl is big in America, check out how popular hockey truly is in Canada. The Super Bowl pails in comparison to the Gold Medal Olympic Game. Here’s the water usage in Edmonton during the game. Apparently nobody went to the bathroom…until the period was over. Brace yourselves.

Honorable Mention- Now this is just really funny. Poor kid.

POLL OF THE WEEK:

Q: Do you see the Bruins making the playoffs this season?

A: For sure. It won’t be easy, but it’s gonna happen.

B: No way. Matt Cooke just ended our season.

C: It doesn’t matter. I have Versus and can’t see them in the playoffs anyway!

Have an opinion? Did I miss something? Think you know better than sidthekid? Well, drop a comment and we’ll see for ourselves, now won’t we!

-Sidney Kushner