Siouxman

I unfortunately know two who broke jaws (not playing hockey) who have been suffering for years now because their jaws click when chewing which causes significant headaches. In one case the rebroke the jaw to try to get it to heal better and alleviate the problem but it did not work. Of course that doesn't happen to everyone, but broken jaws can cause lifelong issues.

I agree there is a good chance it will be over tonight. Chicago just does not seem to have "it" this year. Something is missing. It's the 10-3 part I don't buy. And as for the Rangers:

Stepan only missed one game. Why? Because he went to full protection on his jaw. If he had worn it before, he probably wouldn't have missed any games. I am talking about more than just facial cuts and bruises. How many NHL players have not lost teeth? I would bet it is very few. Look at the incident rate of facial injuries in college. They are almost non-existent. They occur much more frequently in the NHL. And broken jaws, noses, and facial bones can be life changing events, causing problems for the rest of a person's life. Lacrosse - full cages are worn Boxes/fighters - Padded gloves are worn, and not to protect their pretty knuckles Baseball - There are risks from pitched and batted balls, but the batter is usually not swinging the bat at an opponent and throwing the ball at an opponent frequently results in a game misconduct. Baseball added the helmet, with the flap to protect the side of the head and the face Basketball - Does anyone really care? That game has so many issues they need to start over. In hockey, players are armed with sticks, and they intentionally stand in the path of pucks traveling at 100+ mph. There is no other game that compares. I simply believe that for the protection of the players full facial protection is necessary. There are just too many accidental facial injuries and Darwin award nominee injuries in hockey to ignore it.

Hmmm. We are into the good stuff a little early today, aren't we?

What is the #1 most widely recognized characteristic of professional hockey players? It is missing teeth. Very few players have all of their teeth. Yet why don't they all wear full shields? It is because hockey is a competitive game. And if they believe, true or not, that they cannot see or hear as well with full protection then they will go without. There is always someone willing to go without that protection because if it gives them a competitive edge they will take it. Until it is mandatory for all, none will do it. Unless, of course, they already have a facial injury such as a broken jaw. Which is stupid to me. You're willing to take a risk without the injury, but not with the injury? Why is that? Because opponents will target the injury. So why not prevent the injury in the first place to the extent possible? There is the macho thing as well and associated taunting. Failure to recognize that taunting from teammates and opponents is simply turning a blind eye to the fact. Until there is a uniform rule that all must wear full face protection, none will unless they are already injured. Those of us who have been around long enough to remember when helmets came into the NHL witnessed that event. Only players after a certain deadline had to wear helmets. Some exempted NHLers chose not to wear helmets for the rest of their career. Simply because of macho. The NHL has gone step by step. First they added helmets, to reduce head and brain injuries. Then they added the partial shield. Why? To reduce eye injuries. Did players suddenly start targeting the eye area because everyone wore partial shields? The next logical step is to reduce facial injuries not involving the eyes. It is a different NHL world today than it historically was. In the olden days much more was let go before a penalty was called. Today high sticks are called more frequently. But, there are still numerous accidental sticks to the face. When teams finally begin to realize that losing their star players for a few games due to broken jaws, pucks to the face, etc. is a real detriment to their team success and bottom line, they will be lining up to go to full shields to prevent injuries. I took a puck off the facemask once that deflected off my stick and came straight up parallel with my arm. I never saw it from the point it left my stick, but I would have had ugly injuries without the full facemask. I am interested in the integrity of the game of hockey, to see guys play. I am not interested in guys getting injured, losing teeth. and being carried from the ice. A full shield will not prevent all facial injuries, but it will drastically reduce them.

Me thinks they were talking about Crawford not being sharp, rather than Patrick Sharp.

That is the rub. There are two Seminole tribal elements. And the other one, located in Oklahoma does not approve of the use of the name.

The tribe is Nakota. The horse is Nokota. Has nothing to do with Native Americans at all. The name is on par with Mustangs, Colts, Ponies, etc. The name comes from a combination of North Dakota. With a horse as an emblem, there would be no mistaking it for anything else.

Rangers could be running short on experienced forwards at this rate.

I saw an angle or two when it happened that I didn't think looked like he hit the head. In fact I thought that he actually lowered his body a little to avoid the hit. But when I looked at it again a day later, it does appear he made head contact. The other thing that concerned me was while it didn't look like Prust jumped up, he hit so hard that he really left his feet.

Think there is any chance the NHL starts to go after players for diving? The refs have a difficult time the way it is catching the real stuff and the fake stuff is just getting out of hand. A classic example is Dorsett faking a slew foot by PK Subban. Yes, Subban did make a motion and made slight contact with the right skate. But before that contact was even made Dorsett is already flinging his left foot toward the ceiling, where it reaches head height. And then he is indignant to the ref when a penalty doesn't get called. All this faking makes refs hesitant to call penalties, and then real stuff gets missed and games get chippy. After-the-fact video review with financial penalties and game suspensions might help, but even that could be tricky to implement. It wouldn't be perfect, but something has to be done. It is a real negative for the game.

Bingo - I am guessing he is due for a three game vacation.

Sorry, but that was not a head shot. The shoulder hit squarely into his chest. It was clearly late and interference and deserved a two minute minor. But a head shot it was not. It was hard and from the blind side so he did not see it coming. However, if it is late in the game and NY has the game in hand, Prust better stay off the ice or keep his head on a swivel. It will be interesting to see how many games the NY Ranger gets for hitting the linesman. That was dumb. If I heard the rules right, it is 3, 10, or 20. 10 or 20 seems unlikely, especially the 20 as there did not appear to be any intent to injure. Evidently the referees and the linesmen get together after the game to classify where it fits in the rules.

That. Was. Shocking. Part way through the second, Chicago up 2-0, in control, and I am thinking It could be a good Chicago Blackhawks - NY Rangers final series. Chicago had been playing well and Crawford was just about untouchable. And then this. The only thing that I can think of to explain it is that there must really be a fine line between playing poorly and playing well and being in control. Or, LA used up a whole series worth of lucky bounces in one period. With LA at home the next two games, this could really get to be interesting.

Hey! We all do, especially when it interferes with watching our favorite hockey team, unless we are on the phone to ESPN.

I was rooting for Montreal to make the finals, but that just isn't going to happen. A lot of credit goes to the NY Rangers coaching staff. They have observed how Montreal tends to feed much of their offense through Subban when he is on the ice. Their forward on that side is anticipating the pass to Subban, even on the power play, and is jumping in almost before the pass is made. Subban therefore has little to know time to do anything with it. Montreal is being outhustled, and their passing was atrocious tonight. They are either missing the passes or making the wrong passes to guys who are covered. They got 41 shots on goal tonight, but many of them were long distance with open lanes for Lundqvist to see the puck. He is playing way too well to give up those goals. Montreal backup goalie played well tonight, but he is up against a goalie playing outstanding. And finally, the change from Tortorelli as coach is a great move by NY. The Rangers are playing with discipline and staying out of trouble. Montreal is playing undisciplined (taking stupid penalties) and seeming frustrated.

Montreal could be in trouble. Revealed today that goalie Carey Price injured a knee when Chris Kreider slide into him skates first early in the game. They will know more tomorrow, but he may be out. Big drop off from Price to their backup goalie.

Do you think opposing teams will give Lucic that type of respect when he retires?

Bingo! Really enjoyed the respect shown to Selanne.

Boy was Anaheim not ready to play game seven. 3-0 Kings after one. Corey Perry had a penalty shot opportunity and never got the shot off (thus you can't call it a penalty shot). Quick poked the puck off his stick as he was trying to make his move.

That's why it is called "Bully" Pulpit

I would like it to be unique (no one else has it), is not ethnic based, no one else is likely to adopt later, and is relative to North Dakota (culture, history, etc.). So far the only suggestion I have seen that fits these criteria and I like is "Nokotas"

Uh yeah. If you can't beat them on intelligence, dazzle them with BS.

My dislike of the Boston Bruins started with Don Cherry as their coach in the late 1970's. He was a jerk then and he hasn't changed. That is a legacy that they simply will never overcome in my lifetime.

Is this for real? This is just so far beyond lacking any intelligence.