5-1, 5-1, 5-1...

so, the last two games played by the two NHL teams I follow both ended with a 5-1 score, and the last two hockey games I attended (AHL on Sunday, and my first ECHL game on Monday--no ECHL teams very close to Chicago, hence my brief absence) both ended 5-1. only one of these games turned out the way I wanted it to, though. the trip back from the ECHL city was quite an ordeal, and I've got stuff to do, but hopefully I'll have some of my own content up soon, before the (late) Blackhawks game tonight. meanwhile, a couple entertaining recent reads:

the always-enjoyable Third String Goalie, to commemorate Paul Newman's birthday, has a  Charlestown Chiefs Reg Dunlop jersey and detailed feature on Slap Shot

from NHL.com Going inside the “Gordie Howe Hat Trick”:

"I'd never heard of it until I'd had quite a few of them," said [Brendan] Shanahan, whose NHL career began in 1987. "It didn't get media attention until four or five years ago. They started counting in my 10th year. One list had me at nine and then they went back and counted and found more. No teammate ever mentioned it to me until my last one.

"All of a sudden, someone would print these lists every time Gordie had a birthday. By then, I was too old to get more. Players might be more aware of it now. If you get two of the three, someone might say, 'Hey, all you need is a goal.' I think it happens more if you have a fight and one of those two other things. Nobody ever says, 'Hey, you've got a goal and an assist, go get in a fight.'"

*****
it's true! I believe one of the Hawks games I went to this season, Ben Eager had a fight and a goal, and Marian Hossa had a goal and an assist, and I was a little more confident in Eager getting an assist than Hossa fighting...

more from Hockey (1969):

Power. The one-word nickname for Detroit's great Gordie Howe says a lot, but hardly enough. Howe has played almost 25 seasons, has scored well over 1.500 points and 700 career goals.