Farewell To A Great Run and Random Sporty Thoughts

(photo via cbc.ca)

I learned a bunch of new things recently, friends. Mostly from watching hockey (which is the best way to learn anything, really). In no order of importance :

2012 NHL Playoffs: My Top 4 1st Round Series You Need To Watch

(Photo via sports.yahoo.com)

Here we go again! The most wonderful time of the year. Round one of the NHL playoffs kick off this week and puckheads could not be happier. If your household is like most, you need to fight for that precious TV time. Choose your battles wisely, my friends. With that said, here are four 1st round series that you need to watch:

Introducing The 2011 NHL All-Concussion Team

There's always plenty of injuries during the course of an NHL season. It's a tough game that's played at blazing high speeds. If you're following hockey this year, the injury du jour is the concussion. With that said, here's your 2011 NHL All-Concussion Team:

Center

 87 - Sidney Crosby - Pittsburgh Penguins

Sidney Crosby Is a Special Athlete. Recognize.

(Photo via theglobeandmail.com

As you've surely read, the Kid is back. And he's still hands down the best in the business. He joins a Pittsburgh Penguin team that is currently 1st in the Eastern Conference (3rd in the league) and are poised to make a great run at Lord Stanley's Cup. All this talk about how he was afraid to return to the fastest game on the planet or cringed at the prospect of taking a major league hit have hovered over his head since his last game in January 2011. He let it all out in his debut this season.

Crosby's stat line for his return against the Islanders (which is a perfect game for his comeback: Sid has 66 points, including 20 goals, in 34 career games vs the Isles) was nothing short of awesome: 2 goals, 2 assists with 8 shots while taking in 15 minutes of ice time. It took him less than 6 minutes to score his first goal (on his first shot) with an amazing backhander that made it's way top right shelf. Crosby makes it look so easy and that's what all of the greats do. He's a student of the game, and will eventually become the head master of the sport.

For any of you that want to hate on Crosby and claim that he's a cry baby or a whiner, keep that shit to yourself. If your club of choice acquired him through a very unlikely trade, you would be ecstatic. You would say all of the things that I've written in this post. My advice: sit back and enjoy what the Kid is accomplishing in his career and for hockey. Sidney Crosby might play for the Penguins, but he's here for all of us puckheads to enjoy.

Here are the Crosby highlights from the game. His effort on the second goal is ridiculous, especially the "turn on a dime" on the half boards making Milan Jurcina look the fool.

-Paqman

The Number Of The B-East - P&B 2011-12 NHL Preview - Eastern Conference

The warm up is over. All of y'all that were keeping track of the pre-season, it's time to reset your clocks. Bring on the new NHL season!

(Photo via mancavesports.org)

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