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Welcome to a weekly blog post of thoughts and observations from the past few days and/or decades of NHL hockey. The Three Stars of Comedy Recognizing the three moments or personalities from around the league that produced the most comedic fodder ...

On Thursday night, Barry Derr was reminded in stark metaphorical terms of his place in the entertainment pecking order. Thousands had come to downtown Los Angeles to see the big matchup: Candice versus Kree on American Idol. Barry and a few dissident...

The Senators and Penguins opened their second-round series Tuesday night, with Pittsburgh claiming an early series lead thanks to a 4-1 win on home ice. The no. 1-seeded Penguins are the consensus favorites over the 7-seed Senators, but nobody wou...

There's a secret that Toronto fans aren't supposed to talk about, but after what happened Monday night, I don't care about anything anymore, so here it is: Heading into Game 7 against the Boston Bruins, Leafs fans were OK with losing. Not "OK" as ...

The big questions and bold predictions for Round 2 of the NHL playoffs.

The first round of the NHL playoffs isn't over quite yet, thanks to a pair of Game 7s tonight. But since one of those games involves the Toronto Maple Leafs, I'll be completely incapable of even basic human function all day long so we better just go ...

In case you were busy asking, "yeah, but when is Spoiled Only-Child Day?" here's what you missed in sports last weekend: Tiger Woods won his second career Players Championship and his fourth PGA Tour event this year, finishing the tournament at ...

Sidney Crosby helps lift the Pittsburgh Penguins, who could advance with a win Saturday.

Playoff time in Toronto and Ottawa used to mean the Battle of Ontario. That was the creative nickname slapped onto the rivalry between the two teams who faced each other four years out of five from 2000 to 2004. Fans of either team don't need to be r...

In case you were busy discovering something magical, here's what you missed in sports on Tuesday: The New York Knicks blew out the Indiana Pacers, 105-79, behind 32 points from Carmelo Anthony to even their second-round series at a game apiece. ...

This year's NHL playoffs have featured plenty of sights that fans aren't accustomed to. We have rare appearances by teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, veteran defenseman Jay Bouwmeester's long-awaited postseason debut, and the...

The Capitals and the Rangers meet (again) for playoff hockey.

This week, Grantland's Katie Baker will be previewing the NHL playoffs' first-round series. Today: Senators-Canadiens and Rangers-Capitals. Read Tuesday's installment here and Wednesday's here. Ottawa Senators (7) at Montreal Canadiens (2) Backst...

This week, Grantland's Katie Baker will be previewing the NHL playoffs' first-round series. Today: Maple Leafs–Bruins, Islanders-Penguins, and Sharks-Canucks. Read yesterday's installment here. Toronto Maple Leafs (5) at Boston Bruins (4) B...

Over the course of its history, the NHL has developed a long list of playoff traditions that hockey fans now hold dear: the playoff beard, the post-series handshake, the color-coordinated fans, and most important of all, booing Gary Bettman. Recen...

With the Stanley Cup playoffs under way, we look back on the filmmaker's history with the Red Wings, the Blackhawks, and NHL fandom.