The owners and players can’t agree on the respective meanings of ‘pay’, ‘here’, the colour yellow, or the arrow symbol.
Approximately 4am on Sunday morning, I had an epiphany. I realized what the fundamental difference is between the positions of the NHLPA and the NHL. Please note that, in order to achieve this epiphany, I consumed large amounts of sugar and Red Bull in a desperate attempt to cling to consciousness while stumbling my way through a night shift. Now that your expectations have been sufficiently managed, here is my thought: the owners and the players have different ideas of what customers are paying for. Similar, yes, but subtly different.
Opening day on the road is always a tough game. Wolfsburg found that out on Friday as they traveled north to Hamburg to take on the rival Hamburg Freezers. Packing the O2 World Arena Hamburg were 10,183 rabid, flag-waving fans, and the home team sent them home happy, defeating Wolfsburg 4-2. Continue reading September 14 – Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg at Hamburg Freezers→
In an unprecedented show of ambition, Pucked in the Head is today releasing its second podcast episode in as many weeks. This is sure to prove to be an unsustainable production level, so get in while you can! In a desperate, and mostly unsuccessful attempt to keep on time and on topic, we’ve modeled this episode after Pardon the Interruption. Only in this version, we don’t know which topics the other is going to bring to the debate. Very little lockout stuff within! Continue reading Episode 46 – Pardon The Interruption→
Knowing little and less about the British league, we’ve reached across the pond to long-time Belfast Giants supporter Jim Doran. Jim’s kindly agreed to keep us updated on the Giants’ 12-13 campaign. Make sure to give Jim a follow on twitter at @jai_dee.
The Belfast Giants are quite possibly best known across the pond for large dancing elves and thatMariah Carey Christmas video, but they are a hockey team, honestly. In fact the Giants can even count Theo Fleury amongst their past players. Yes, that Stanley Cup winning, Olympic gold medallist Theo Fleury who racked up a more than impressive 24 goals, 70 assists and 308 PiM in his 45 games for the Giants during the 2005-06 Elite League season. Continue reading Belfast Giants Season Preview→
With the prospect of an NHL lockout looming, Pucked in the Head is taking measures to ensure our hockey nerdery can continue unabated. So it is that we delve into the hitherto unexplored realm of European hockey. Jason has chosen the Belfast Giants of the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League to tide him over. Having German heritage on my mother’s side, I’ll be turning my attention to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. For the duration of the lockout, and maybe even beyond, I’ll be following the (let’s face it, hilariously named) EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams. Finally, a chance to use that first year German course I took in 2001. Continue reading EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams… uber Alles?→
After way, way, WAY too long, we at Pucked In The Head have finally found the time to not only record, but actually edit a podcast and upload it to the server. Yes, thank you. We’re a little out of practice, so forgive us as we get a little ranty about the current NHL labour situation. Continue reading Episode 45 – When Millionaires Fight Billionaires→
It’s strange how our reactions to results vary depending on when we’re asked to respond to them.
If you’d told me after the 2011 Women’s World Cup that Canada was going to win bronze in the Olympics next year, I likely would have giggled and asked if you’d been watching. The Canadian ladies failed spectacularly in that tournament, crashing out after losing all three games in the group stage. That was a dark time. Continue reading Soccer Bronze→
Of all the places to send him. Sure, Toronto had an opening and a desperate need for a forward, after Danny Koevermans’ season was ended by a torn ACL. And, sure, a long goal drought had put Hassli in Martin Rennie’s doghouse, rendering him an overpriced (and expensive) late-game sub on most nights. But nobody deserves Toronto. Continue reading Eric Hassli Condemned to TFC→
The old Pucked in the Head Douche-O-Meter has been blaring out Chelsea Dagger like nobody’s business this week. Between Daniel Tosh’s rape joke controversy, the season premiere of Big Brother and Cam Janssen commenting that he would kick the ass of any player he knew was fellating someone, the poor machine hasn’t had a break in days. Continue reading Bigotry and Hollow Apologies→
Panayiotis Alexiou “Peter” Vagenas
Midfielder – CD Chivas USA
Born February 6, 1978 in Pasadena, CA
Nicknames: Pasadena Pete; Passback Pete; That Guy The Whitecaps Inexplicably Let “Mentor” Gershon Koffie
Peter Vagenas, now in his 13th season in Major League Soccer, is a player commonly described as “experienced”. This is code for “old” and “often doesn’t get his contract renewed”. Continue reading Peter Vagenas→
Opening day on the road is always a tough game. Wolfsburg found that out on Friday as they traveled north to Hamburg to take on the rival Hamburg Freezers. Packing the O2 World Arena Hamburg were 10,183 rabid, flag-waving fans, and the home team sent them home happy, defeating Wolfsburg 4-2. 
With the prospect of an NHL lockout looming, Pucked in the Head is taking measures to ensure our hockey nerdery can continue unabated. So it is that we delve into the hitherto unexplored realm of European hockey. Jason has chosen the Belfast Giants of the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League to tide him over. Having German heritage on my mother’s side, I’ll be turning my attention to the Deutsche Eishockey Liga. For the duration of the lockout, and maybe even beyond, I’ll be following the (let’s face it, hilariously named) EHC Wolfsburg Grizzly Adams. Finally, a chance to use that first year German course I took in 2001. 
Of all the places to send him. Sure, Toronto had an opening and a desperate need for a forward, after Danny Koevermans’ season was ended by a torn ACL. And, sure, a long goal drought had put Hassli in Martin Rennie’s doghouse, rendering him an overpriced (and expensive) late-game sub on most nights. But nobody deserves Toronto. 
Panayiotis Alexiou “Peter” Vagenas