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SOCHI, Russia—The ice surface is bigger, the pay non-existent and what used to mean bragging rights around the world in the days of dueling superpowers counts for less now that everyone wound up on the same side of capitalism. The trade-off is that you might see one, and as many four, hockey games better-played than anything in an entire season of National Hockey League contests. Here's a look at the upcoming Olympic men's hockey tournament. 1. HOME COOKING Both of the United States' wins were earned on home ice, in 1960 and 1980, as was Canada's eighth and most recent....

In Minnesota, the coolest guy on the block is not the one with the Corvette. It's the one with his own personal Zamboni. Jim Leonard is that guy, with a 40-year-old personal-size machine that makes him a rock star in his hometown of Lake Elmo. "It has been a dream of mine since I was 5 years old," Leonard said as he climbed into the driver's seat and twirled the wheel controlling the scraper blade. The machine is one of the strangest contraptions ever built. It looks like what would happen if a snowplow and a street sweeper had a...

2014 Olympics Hockey TV Schedule Date/Time_____Group_____Game_____TV Feb. 12 Noon -- C -- Czech Republic vs. Sweden -- USA Feb. 12 Noon -- C -- Latvia vs. Switzerland -- MSNBC Feb. 13 3 a.m. -- B -- Finland vs. Austria -- NBCSN Feb. 13 7:30 a.m. -- A -- Russia vs. Slovenia -- MSNBC Feb. 13 7:30 a.m. -- A -- USA vs. Slovakia -- NBCSN Feb. 13 Noon -- B -- Canada vs. Norway -- USA Feb. 14 3 a.m. -- C -- Czech Republic vs. Latvia -- MSNBC Feb. 14 7:30 a.m. -- C -- Sweden vs. Switzerland --...

...The temperature at the start of the history-making game at Dodger Stadium between the Kings and the visiting Anaheim Ducks, rivals separated by 31 miles of interstate, was 61 degrees with a slight breeze. The balmy weather notwithstanding, it was easy to get the chills during the first regular-season outdoor hockey game in California, won by the Ducks in a 3-0 shutout. ... By the time the game started, the crowd of 54,099 was in full roar, with “Go Kings Go” cries followed by chants of “Beat L.A.” ...

Anaheim Ducks vs. LA Kings @ Dodger Stadium - Saturday Jan. 25 @ 9:30 PM (Eastern) on NBCSN NY Rangers vs. NJ Devils @ Yankee Stadium - Sunday Jan. 26 @ 12:30 PM (Eastern) on NBC NY Rangers vs. NY Islanders @ Yankee Stadium - Wednesday Jan. 29 @ 7:30 PM (Eastern) on NBCSN

women's Olympic hockey team has been ordered to remove an image from the United States Constitution from her helmet. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers the image to be 'propoganda,' and forbids it. Goalie Jessie Vetter has been told to remove the image, particularly the line "We the People," her name and the Olympic rings. "No writings of any kind to promote the country is allowed," helmet designer Ron Slater tells InGoal magazine. "A sort of 'our country is better than your country' kind of thing that the IOC frowns upon. Her name had to come off because they see...

Keith Olbermann of ESPN recently named former Flyer and current Vancouver Canuck Tom Sestito the "World's Worst Person In Sports," which is a reoccurring segment on his talk show "Olbermann." Sestito jokingly thanked Olbermann for the recognition on Twitter.

It's the middle of winter, so backyard rinks are in full bloom. Many you see are of the no frills variety -- some wood acting as the boards and a fresh sheet of ice with hockey equipment littered on top. But for Justin Lachapelle, a resident of St-Lazare, Quebec, he's taken his love for the Montreal Canadiens and his ability to build a backyard rink to an entirely different level. Not only does his 64-by-32 rink have re-used boards from a local rink, painted lines and face-off circles to make it look like Bell Centre, there's also a dressing room...

Wayne Gretzky will end his four-year separation from the NHL to take part in Kings-Ducks game Jan. 25 at Dodger Stadium. Vinny will be there too. Perfect.

The United States hockey team came very close to adding a veteran presence to its roster Wednesday when it accidentally invited a 67-year-old Canadian to join the squad. Before Team USA announced its Olympic roster for the Winter Games, text messages were sent to potential players, letting them know they would be contacted if they made the team. One lucky man in Toronto presumably thought his childhood dreams were coming true, though, when he received a message intended for Vancouver Canucks forward Ryan Kesler informing him that he would be representing the United States in Sochi. Apparently, Kesler had changed...

The proof could be found in both dressing rooms and on the ice Tuesday at Michigan Stadium. "You can tell as soon as everyone walked in here, it was like a bunch of 13- and 14-year-olds in here," Detroit Red Wings goalie Jimmy Howard said after practicing at Michigan Stadium. "We were all excited and messing around with our new stuff, the eye black, the hats and everything. Everyone is pretty fired up." The buildup for the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic between the Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs will finally end shortly after 1 p.m. ET on Wednesday...

On Dec. 14, the ECHL's Reading Royals will break out "Ugly Christmas Sweater" jerseys on "Teddy Bear Toss Night" in what should be a very cool experience for everyone involved In case you are unaware of what "Teddy Bear Toss Night" is, it's a pretty cool promotion. Fans are encouraged to bring stuffed animals to the game, and once the home team scores its first goal, they throw the stuffed animals onto the ice. The staff gathers the stuffed animals and gives them to kids for the holidays.

The Streak is over. After winning an NCAA-record 62 consecutive games, the University of Minnesota women's hockey team fell 3-2 to North Dakota on Sunday in front of 2,435 at Ridder Arena. The last previous loss for the top-ranked Gophers (13-1-0, 11-1-0 Western Collegiate Hockey Association) also came at the hands of North Dakota. That 2-1 overtime defeat on Feb. 17, 2012, came in the opening game of the final regular-season series that year.

Chad Myhrer remembers the horror he felt when the Zamboni he was driving stopped on the ice at the Sanford Center in Bemidji. "That's the first time it ever happened to me," Myhrer said. "Everyone's looking at you out there and there's not much you can do." The unplanned stop occurred between the first and second period of a Bemidji State University men's hockey game against Alaska-Anchorage. The Zamboni stalled between the blue lines -- right on top of a painted-on advertisement for the Hampton Inn. As it turns out, the gas line wasn't properly connected to the propane tank,...

Karl Subban knows the cost of being a hockey parent in Canada. The patriarch of one of Canada’s most successful hockey families – his boys P.K., Malcolm and Jordan have all been drafted by NHL teams – he and his wife paid $5,000 each in one year just to register them in minor hockey in the Greater Toronto Hockey League (GTHL). “And that’s not including equipment and what not,” Mr. Subban says. “It was very expensive. But you make sacrifices. That’s what we did.” It’s widely known that Canada’s national winter sport is expensive to play. But various factors have...

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<p>Fighting in hockey is a rare sight on the international stage (especially in the women’s game), but according to Team Canada captain Hayley Wickenheiser, this isn’t the first dustup the two world powers have been involved in.</p> <p>“We had a similar scrap in 2010, so I guess we have one every Olympic cycle to get it out of our system,” Wickenheiser told reporters after the game, via Canoe.ca.</p>

UNIVERSITY PARK — The new building was beautiful, loud and packed to the rafters. And nearly all of those fans left with smiles on their faces. Aside from a few too many penalties, it was hard to ask for anything more of the Penn State ice hockey team in their new home, erupting for three third-period goals to put away Army 4-1 Friday night in the first game in Pegula Ice Arena. “When there’s a packed barn like that, and those fans are yelling,” said defenseman Nate Jensen, who scored the first goal in the new rink, “you get jitters,...

Need a few more teams to round out our Freeper league!! Anyone interested?? If so....freepmail me with your e-mail address and I will send you an invite!! Have been running a Freeper League for several years....it's been a blast!

Two men have been charged with the murder of a Jesuit college student who was beaten to death after he and a friend were 'jumped from behind' as they walked back to campus from a bar on Labor Day weekend. Craig Tyler Peacock, 22, of Clewiston, Florida, and Jarrett Mathis Chandler, 24, of Winnfield, Louisiana, were both charged with the murder of Kevin M. Figaniak. The men were found in a camp for oil and gas workers and were arrested overnight. They were arraigned and placed in the Northern Correctional Facility in Moundsville, West Virginia on $1 million cash bail...