NHL on NBC Analysts Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick in Heated Exchange Last Night.

There was a fascinating moment of live television last night on NBC Sports Network as NHL on NBC hockey analysts Mike Milbury and Jeremy Roenick had a heated exchange about a hit to the head that took place during the Dallas Stars-Pittsburgh Penguins game. The argument about Eric Nystrom's roughing penalty on Kris Letang was secondary to the emotion on display as it appeared Milbury and JR were about to come to blows. 

The root of the animosity between them goes back to 2010 just after Roenick's former team the Chicago Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. JR wears his heart on his sleeve and in a moment of real genuine emotion he started crying, talking through his tears about not having won the Cup with Chicago and how happy he was that Blackhawks fans finally get to celebrate a championship after waiting for so long. 

But then Milbury ruined what was a rare moment of heartfelt emotion on national television by saying "well I didn't win the Cup either, but I'm not crying." It made Milbury look like an unempathetic jerk. Milbury has a reputation as being an obnoxious blowhard. He even was accused of assaulting a 12-year-old boy during a fight with his son. The case was dismissed. For some reason NBC keeps bringing Milbury back. There have been times after seeing him appear on TSN that I thought he was banished to Canada. But then I see him on NBC again putting down his fellow analysts like JR and ridiculing some of my favorite players like Alex Ovechkin, who he says has a "low hockey IQ." In other words, Milbury doesn't think Ovie is very smart. Of course it is easy to criticize a player like Ovechkin from a studio in Bristol, Connecticut. 

It's not that Milbury doesn't make good points sometimes. In fact, tonight he was on the right side of the argument regarding the Nystrom-Letang hit and in his concern for all the concussions in the NHL. The problem is how he comes across as arrogant and domineering. Kudos to Roenick for challenging Milbury and standing up for himself. Keep it up JR. You've got millions of us rooting for you.

Click here to watch video of tonight's Milbury-Roenick rumble courtesy of Deadspin.

- Josh Marks

Professional Hockey Player Andrew Ference Goes Green

Most hockey fans know about Boston Bruins defenseman Andrew Ference because of the team's Stanley Cup championship run last season. And recently Ference made headlines for a three-game suspension he received after a hit on the New York Rangers' Ryan McDonagh. But the National Geographic Channel is showing another side of Ference that many NHL fans might not be aware of: eco-warrior.

"Beyond the Puck," a web video series featuring new episodes every Thursday, provides brief glimpses (the videos average only a few minutes) into the off-ice life of Ference and his family as the Edmonton, Canada native goes green. Canadian environmentalist David Suzuki inspired Ference to pursue a carbon neutral lifestyle and helped him start in 2007 the NHL's first environmental program that encourages players to go carbon neutral and think about their impact on the environment. 

One webisode shows how Ference ditched his gas-guzzling truck for a bicycle. He now bikes to work and plays with his two children on bikes. Other webisodes show Ference grocery shopping for healthy organic food and composting at home with his kids.

Ference joins other current and former NHL players like ex-Rangers goalie Mike Richter in taking a public stand for protecting the planet. With so many professional athletes these days making headlines for all the wrong reasons, it is nice to see someone like Ference inspiring others to do the right thing. 

- Josh Marks

National TV Audience Witnesses Decline of Washington Capitals

The disappointing decline of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals was on full display in front of a national TV audience on NBC Sports Network last night as the Caps were demolished by the last-place Carolina Hurricanes 5-0 at RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. 

In a must-win game, the Caps played arguably their worst game of the season and were shut out by a backup goaltender. The moment from last night that really sums up the season and perhaps the end of the Ovechkin era in Washington, was in the third period when the camera showed Ovechkin hunched over with his head down on the bench. After a commercial break the camera showed Ovechkin again, still hunched over with his head down. He appeared to be sobbing but it was hard to tell. It is sad in so many ways to see what has become of the same player who only a few years ago was wowing the hockey world with dazzling, magical moves. And it is disheartening to see a team struggle so mightily that is only a few years removed from being the most exciting club in the NHL—with Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstom, Alexander Semin and Mike Green scoring amazing goals on a nightly basis and generating such an electric atmosphere in arenas across the league.

And I don't say this just as a lifelong Caps fan, I say it as a fan of hockey. The league is already missing the excitement of Sidney Crosby, but to see Ovechkin and the Caps, who provided so much hope and excitement for the fans in Washington, turn into this confused bunch of individuals struggling to do basic things like clear the puck out of their own zone, is depressing.  The Capitals have gone from a team with Stanley Cup aspirations to fighting and scraping for their playoff lives. 

I have lost all hope in this season and firmly believe the Caps must be sellers at the trade deadline and trade Semin, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer, for draft picks. And owner Ted Leonsis must consider firing General Manager George McPhee, because he is the architect of this mess. With talented prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov coming up next year the Caps can dump the dead weight players and begin another four to five year rebuild with tough, gritty, character players in the mold of the Boston Bruins. Even if the Caps as currently constructed sneak into the playoffs this year, this is no reason to believe this postseason will be any different than their epic collapses and early exits of the past four years.

Maybe it is better to see this team for what it really is at this point in the season, then for fans to have false hopes that the Caps are actual playoff contenders as have been the expectations in past years. 

I will always be a Caps fan. I will always root for this team win or lose. I will be hoping for the best. One day this team will bring a Stanley Cup to the Nation's Capital. But it will not be this year.

- Josh Marks

Tim Thomas Tarnishes Image With White House Snub

Today, Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas put himself in front of his team, league and country by making a self-righteous political statement instead of attending a White House ceremony to honor the Bruins' Stanley Cup victory last season. In boycotting this event he selfishly stole the attention away from his teammates and the entire Bruins organization on a day that should have been a diplomatic, nonpartisan celebration of an amazing achievement in professional sports.

Championship sports teams have been honored in Washington by countless administrations over the years. It doesn't matter if there is a Democrat or Republican in the Oval Office, political disagreements have never entered the picture. That is until now. This is not about President Barack Obama, but respecting the office of the president of the United States of America. Tim Thomas may have exercised his right as a "Free Citizen," as he posted on his Facebook page, but that does not excuse his actions. He represents an organization that is paying him millions of dollars. He represents the National Hockey League that is trying to broaden its appeal into minority communities.  And as one of only two Americans on the team, he represents this country (players from Canada, Slovakia, Finland and other nations were honored to be at the White House with President Obama). 

There is a time and place for political protests. This was not one of them. Sports are supposed to be an escape from everything that divides us. It is supposed to be a safe place free of partisan politics. Today, Tim Thomas broke that sacred trust and it will take a long time for those wounds to heal. 

- Josh Marks

Will NHL Players Follow NFL Players and Sue Over Concussions?

The concussion crisis in professional ice hockey continued today with the sobering news that Nashville Predators star forward Shea Weber is out indefinitely with a concussion.

 

The news regarding Weber is the latest blow to the NHL and their efforts at limiting hits to the head and promoting the sport to a wider audience. Sidney Crosby, Claude Giroux, Mike Richards, Jeff Skinner, Joni Pitkanen, Kris Letang, Chris Pronger, Zbynek Michalek, Marc Staal, Robert Bortuzzo, Jay Beagle, Milan Michalek, Brayden Schenn, Radek Martinek, Marek Zidlicky, Nathan Gerbe, Nino Niederreiter, Peter Mueller, Marc Savard, Ian Laperriere and Mike Green. These are some of the victims but the list is even longer. One of these players with concussion symptoms is unacceptable. This many is a crisis that must be dealt with.

 

Some analysts say the increased speed of the game following new rules implemented after the lockout are to blame for the increase. Did removing the red line cause more neutral zone crashes between opposing players? Perhaps. Others argue that the increase in concussions is a result of improved detection and treatment by the league. Would a bigger ice surface help avoid collisions? Would stronger helmets with more padding protect the players from head injuries in the event of a collision? Maybe.

 

There are many possible reasons behind the increase in concussions and many possible solutions. They should all be on the table and should be the number one topic of discussion in the NHL until there is a noticeable decrease in head injuries.

 

Otherwise, there is the very real possibility NHL players could take legal action similar to what 21 former NFL players recently did in suing the NFL over "severe and permanent brain damage they say is linked to concussions suffered on the job." According to the USA Today story, the lawsuit "accuses the NFL of deliberately omitting or concealing years of evidence linking concussions to long-term neurological problems."

 

Yes, football and hockey are violent sports. But that doesn't mean the leagues, players and fans should accept concussions as part of the job risks these athletes signed up for. If legal action is the only avenue players have to protect their precious noggins than more power to them. 

 

by Josh Marks

 

NYC and Philly Play Starring Roles in HBO's "24/7 Flyers- Rangers"

As I write this review of HBO's debut episode of "24/7 Flyers-Rangers: Road to the NHL Winter Classic," I'm riding on an Amtrak train through central Philadelphia en route to New York City's Penn Station. As we speed past the rundown rowhouses and abandoned warehouses of this gritty, greasy city, I can't help but think how Season 2 (Caps-Pens last year) of this Emmy Award-winning reality series is as much a tale of two cities as it is about two fierce rivals on the ice.

But the real story is that the two teams and the cities they represent have much in common.

Philly and NYC, despite the popular imagination of big bankers on Wall Street and UPenn rowers on the Schuylkill River, are actually deep down two blue collar cities with many similarities that are brilliantly captured by the HBO cameras. These two rusted out titans of the 20th century are attempting to reinvent themselves to stay on top in the 21st century with the same can-do, blue collar work ethic that made these magnificent metropolisis the economic engines of a bygone era in America. The same can be said of their hard working professional ice hockey teams. 

The opening montage sets up the blue collar theme of the show as Rangers players get to Madison Square Garden by cab, subway and even walking. Rangers forward Ryan Callahan is from hardscrabble Rochester, New York, and the cameras show him meeting his family after playing a game against the Sabres in nearby Buffalo. In perhaps the most touching moment of the hour-long episode we see wheelchair-bound 95-year-old Grandma Callahan beaming with pride as she greets Ryan.

In Philly, the cameras follow Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds as he heads to the opening of an ice rink dedicated to helping inner city youth. Simmonds, who is Afro-Canadian, is joined by Flyers owner Ed Snider at the event.

Episode two airs tonight at 10 p.m. and this fan of the show is looking forward to seeing the urban backdrops of the Big Apple and City of Brotherly Love as much as the Rangers and Flyers.

- Josh Marks