Pop And Lock

SI.com runs a weekly feature titled Pop Culture Grid, where they ask athletes about all things pop culture. Trying to show that they're just like us and have a life and interests outside of sports. Which is news to me, because I thought that all athletes slept in bunk beds in lower areas of the arena and only came out for games and practices.

In their recent column, SI spoke to Shane Doan of the Phoenix Coyotes, and Ryan Callahan of the New York Rangers, who took some time out of their busy schedules of sleeping in bunk beds at their respective arenas to answer some zany pop culture related questions.

_____ needs to stay away from the Botox.
Callahan: Heidi Montag from The Hills
Doan: Teammate Steve Reinprecht

Person I'd like to make a documentary about?
Doan: Gen. Patton. He's just an incredible guy that you don't know much about
Callahan: Rangers defenseman Paul Mara. He is a very angry man

I have a love/hate relationship with_____
Callahan: Golf. I like playing but not that good at it
Doan: Former teammate Tyson Nash. He's one of those guys you love to hate

Click here for the full list of answers. Yes folks, there's more! You're welcome.

False Alarm

So remember that whole report that was circulating where Mike Gillis, GM of the Vancouver Canucks, said that Mats Sundin would for sure make a decision on Thursday. Apparently that's not the case.

Rogers Sportsnet is reporting that Sundin's agent J.P. Barry says that he's very confident that Mats will make a decision on Friday.

TSN however says that Sundin plans to stick to his original schedule of making a decision by Christmas and no exact date has been set.

For the love of God just make up your mind already Mats. I honestly don't know how much longer I can take of this will he or won't he sign today business. I think they might need to invent some new form of psychiatry for bloggers who are frustrated with indecisive bald Swedish men. You know somewhere in Sweden there's a lady who writes a blog with an indecisive bald husband who is nodding her head in agreement with me even though it's for two very different reasons. Because let me clarify, I am of course not married to a bald Swedish man.

Story Update [6:08pm EST]: Never mind. He signed with Vancouver. Thank you Baby Jesus!

Thursday Is The Big Day

For months now, Mats Sundin has been taking his sweet time deciding on if and where to play for the 2008-09 season. People have speculated and rumouralated (not a word?) on where the big Swede would end up. By now, most of the 30 teams have been linked to Sundin.

Here's the good news. According to Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis, who recently met with Sundin's agent J.P. Barry, Mats is expected to decide if he will sign with the 'Nucks or the Rangers on Thursday.

"He's going to make a decision Thursday about the final destination," Gillis told reporters. "We re-iterated our position in all of this and formalized our offer moving forward. We feel good about our team and where we sit and what we have to offer. We will see how it plays out."

Back in the summer the Canucks made an astronomical two year, $20 million offer, though at this point in the season the deal would be prorated to be around $5 million. Last year Sundin made $5.5 million with the Leafs. That's right, he'll get paid pretty much the same amount to play for a few months as he did for all of last year. Maybe Mats is smarter than I thought.

It's unclear what the Rangers have offered Sundin but they would need to make some deals to clear up cap space to add him to their roster as they have only about $1 million available under the cap.

Even though math isn't on the Blueshirts' side, that hasn't stopped notorious radio show host/blowhard Bob McCowan from claiming that he spoke to an angel in his sleep and was told that Mats would for sure, 100%, undoubtedly sign to play in NYC.

Either way I'm glad this will be all over on Thursday. This has been going on for six months now! There have been two elections (Canadian and American) in that time. Voters were able to make up their minds on who to lead their country quicker than Sundin has been able to decide on what city to get paid millions of dollars in. That's how prolongued and ridiculous this thing has been.


[Source]

Notable Quotable of the Day

“It’s motivating sometimes when guys are coming after you like that. It’s not a guy you expect. I don’t know if that’s what he needed to do to prove his toughness, to come after me."

- Sidney Crosby on the rough treatmeant he received all game long from New York Rangers center Colton Orr on Wednesday night.

Flyers Fans Mercilessly Boo Sarah Palin

The Wachovia Center must have been filled with the liberal left wing gotcha media who's so in the can for Barack Obama on Saturday night. Because from the sounds of it, everyone in attendance was not happy to see Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin drop the puck before the Philadelphia Flyers' home opener against the New York Rangers.

The organizers of the photo-op tried every trick in the book to counter any booing. Cute little girl in home team jersey? Check. Palin's knocked up 16 year old daughter? Check. Music so loud that you can't even hear yourself think to drown out the boos? Check. But even with all that, the booing still came through loud and clear.

Really this couldn't have been too much of a surprise coming from Philadelphia sports fans. After all, this is the same city of fans who booed Santa Claus and threw snow balls at him. In addition they also once cheered as an opposing team’s star player lay motionless on the turf after sustaining what turned out to be a career-ending neck injury, threw batteries at a player who refused to sign with the Phillies baseball team and last month jeered their own mascot for dropping a foul ball.

The real question is if Sarah Palin was at the Wachovia Center dropping the ceremonial first puck, then who was in Alaska watching the Russians? Uh-oh.

Congratulations?

After defeating Russian club Metallurg Magnitogorsk 4-3 Wednesday afternoon, the New York Rangers were officially crowned Victoria Cup Champions.

A prize that won the team $1 million, so split up amongst 25 guys that means around $40k for each player. Which really is pocket change for NHL players.

In addition to that, the team also received the Victoria Cup, which is what Rangers forward Dan Fritsche is holding in the picture above.

So congratulations New York Rangers! For all your troubles of having to travel to Europe, you win $40k and a trophy that looks like a rake! Hopefully you have some lawn work to do, because that's all that thing is good for.

Reebok Is Puntastic!

Next weekend the NHL will opening up their season with four games in Europe. Two in Sweden featuring the Pens and Sens (that rhymes!), the other in the Czech Republic featuring the Lightning and Rangers. (Considerably less rhymier)

To capitalize on the event, the NHL Shop has just released two shirts from Reebok as seen above.

Yes those are 100% real. I didn't make them up. And they'll cost you $26.99 plus shipping for them.

I mean I joke about how lame they are but secretly I wish I could dish out edgy puns like that. Because it's that sort of cheesy punnery that I aspire to here on The Power Play. I think I need to hire some of the RBK designers to start writing here.

[Source]