People who know me know that I've always loved the NHL All StaR game. It's a fun weekend where lOts of great hockey is played and we get to see awesome concerts (I'm hoping for Journey or maybe the Black Eyed Peas this year!).

One Considerable thing you all mighT not know about Me is that I love DAnY HEatley because I think he's the all starriest star that ever all starred. Dany Heatley is a Multiple 50 goal scorer and one time he drove his car so fast that his best friend disappeared just like Back to the Future IV: Doc Forgets Where He Parked the DeLorean (In Time).

So I hope you'll all join me in voting for Dany Heatley to play in this year's All Star Game, hosted by the lovely city of Ottawa and sponsored by four hundred unisex hair salons, he'd appreciate it and so would I.

Last night the dumber of your two Chief Blogging Officers posted a four fourteen month old picture of someone's Transformers mask and claimed it was James Reimer's because he's not very attentive. This morning the bloodless coup has finished and as the new head honcho here at PPP Industrial Services and Global Agriculture LLC I'm proud to announce A CONTEST.

Follow me over the jump for the rules and to find out what you can win!

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With the 25th overall pick in the 2011 SBN NHL Mock Entry draft I'm excited to announce our selection: the Saint John Sea Dogs' Zack Phillips.

Phillips was instrumental in the Sea Dogs' Memorial Cup championship scoring nine goals and adding 15 assists in 24 games between the QMJHL playoffs and the Mem Cup. He's a center that will likely play wing at the NHL level, but his production in the playoffs is a strong indicator of NHL success. Last season the advanced stats community identified a player likely to score based on his postseason production: Jeff Skinner.

[Direct Link] - [Subscribe to HOTH Podcast]

Yesterday, I joined Scott Lewis, Rob Pizzo, and Scott Herkes on the Houses of the Hockey podcast. It was fun because I was able to go down to their studios to record it. If you're looking for good hockey podcasts, obviously you should be listening to the PPP Podcast, I would recommend Puck Daddy Radio and the HOTH Podcast. I'd love to hear any other suggestions. Those are the three I listen to consistently but I'd love to know about more.

This edition of the HOTH podcast is full of controversy. Before they bring in the closer the talk about the latest dirty hits, the league's reaction to the concussions issue, the possibility of NHL teams being held responsible for repeat offenders, their take on the corporations that spoke out about the Chara hit, and much more. Then, they get down to serious business:

1. Jean-Sebastien Giguere, who I thought was starting last night, gets a new nickname "The Towel".
2. If the miracle of miracles takes place, then Rob Pizzo has a lot of money going out the door to some confident (or foolish) colleagues.
3. My take on some positives that Leafs fans can draw from this season.
4. Some discussion on Clarke MacArthur's season and the possible contract he could draw. Spoiler: I hedge like crazy.
5. The big question: Am I satisfied with this season?
6. Pizzao worries about what will happen if the OTPP sells MLSE. We discuss possible buyers and I raise a possible dark horse.
7. And finally, a quick discussion of David Nonis being named the Canadian GM for the entry to the Worlds and everyone's feelings about the tournament.

Two weeks ago, I solicited questions from the audience for site favourite Luke Schenn to answer. Thanks to the fine folks at VISA and their Hockey Love Hurts campaign we were actually able to get some answered. Unfortunately, the greatest question:

"Do you have a favorite Kris Versteeg song?"
- ForkLift

went unanswered, presumably because the answer was that he sorta likes 'em all.

However, Luke Schenn did talk about Wendel Clark, Ron Wilson, Brayden Schenn and the World Junior final, and how diehard fans live through the ups and downs.

As promised, VISA also provided a $50 gift card that was raffled off. The lucky winner is...Juggy Gilmour. Please e-mail me to claim your prize.

The NHL Guardian Project just released Toronto's superhero: The Maple Leaf. Befitting the largest fanbase in the NHL we have the biggest Guardian. Bangin Panger has a great post on the Guardians and their superhero inspirations but I think he'll have his work cut out for him. The description of The Maple Leaf features the following:

The Maple Leaf, or "Trunk" as the rest of the Guardians know him, is one of the funniest of the Guardians. Always quick with a joke or a sarcastic barb, the Maple Leaf often disarms his opponents by bringing levity to tense situations.

Sounds like Leafs fans are the real Guardian. While this is clearly targeted towards a younger demographic than that which posts here there is something that will interest anyone here: A free Maple Leafs' jersey.

More details after the jump.

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Toronto Maple Leafs fans suffer like no one else. Whether it's because of terrible teams, jealous opposition fans, or the reality of pursuing a title in a 30-team league we've had more downs than ups. The truth is that being a sports fan with even a passible sense of loyalty is tough. Everything about teams is transient except for the fans. Players move around so much that their concept of 'we' is of their families not of their team. Management tears down and rebuilds (to some extent) every half-decade but it is only the fans that have to live with the results of those decisions every day. With us in mind, VISA has unveiled their Hockey Love Hurts which rewards fans that declare their loyalty and use their credit card (there's always a catch).

However, there's no catch in what they've offered us: VISA is giving the community a chance to ask Our Luke and Saviour some questions. All you need to do is post a comment here with something you want to ask Luke Schenn, I'll pick 10-15 of the best, pass them along to VISA, and they'll send us back a video with his answers. The cherry on top is that I'll draw for a $50 VISA gift card.

Have at it. After the jump, there's a transcript of our fateful meeting of in Montreal.

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Hello faithful readers of our slandering and libelous anonymous internet haven for thought crime: today we pull off our masks and expose our real names.

In this morning's Globe and Mail (this was printed in a newspaper right? if not it's dangerously close to making Bruce a blogger...) Bruce Dowbiggin's column "Usual Suspects" contains:

That might be a problem as "blogger" has come to be synonymous for bending the rules on sourcing or taking liberties with research. Others complain that bloggers hiding behind anonymity don’t reveal their conflicts or connections to either management or players. Things that would never pass muster with an editor go viral on the internet.

First off I'd like to point out the lengths Mr. Dowbiggin goes to in his attempt to avoid saying what he means. The use of "Others" is akin to the "Some people say" that Fox News has used to great effect in their quest to obfuscate the origin of their commentary.

Just as we can't criticize Fox News for their horrible mind numbing drivel because, allegedly, they're reporting what other unnamed sources say similarly we're not to criticize Mr. Dowbiggen's assurance that anonymous bloggers say mean things because all of them used to be general managers of NHL teams.

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