Datsyuk and Friends

Seems like the hottest topic in today's NFL is headshots - stars went down left and right with concussions during the season. Fines and suspensions were handed out and, supposedly, everything is going to be alright. Well, the NFL isn't the only league that has concerns about its players' safety. The NHL has been dealt with a rash of concussion-related injuries over the past couple months. The severity of the injuries varies quite a bit. You'll have a guy who takes a hit the wrong way, has headaches for a few days, then comes back fine. And then you have a guy like Boston Bruins veteran Marc Savard. Poor guy. He's had 3 concussions in the last 2 years. I don't even want to know how many games he's missed due to these injuries. Even worse, he's been shut down for the rest of the regular season and the playoffs (again!) this year. The (again!) was because the same thing happened to him last year. When Savard's not seeing stars, he's a pret...

It's one of those rare events in sports. The odds of witnessing a hat trick in hockey are reportedly (and odds vary, depending on where you look) 1 in 18. Off the top of my head, I've seen maybe 10 or so. And I can guarantee that I've watched more than 180 games. So I question that. But I digress. The hat trick is one of few moments in sports in which both players and fans actively participate. The hats rain down from all over the arena. Players celebrate the feat. Then, local charities are provided with those hats tossed onto the ice. It's a win all around. What's even more rare is seeing a player eclipse a hat trick. While watching live games either on TV or in person, I've only seen it happen 3 times. I remember watching Sergei Fedorov score all 5 goals for the Red Wings, including the game winner in overtime, back in 1996. He also scored 4 goals the previous year, but I don't remember that one. The other two I've seen, one in-person and one...