GMRwings1983

I seem to remember hearing that Probert was a wild child when he first came into the league. It's not like his other issues only developed in the 90's, after long-term head trauma.

Well, if today's players will react this way to the tournament (which I doubt), then we need to change their philosophy. I say I doubt because players enjoy representing their country. It's not just the Olympics where it matters. I see guys playing hard at the World Championships, and that takes place every year. Players will play hard in this tournament, regardless of the coach. If not, it will be easy to find replacements who will volunteer.

His hero should now be Hudler.

Do we know that Probert died from CTE? He had other problems in his health history, as I wrote above.

Maybe this is what keeps him feeling young and still playing hockey at this age.

That's probably true, but Probert was drinking heavily and doing cocaine. I'm sure he knew what that meant long term. Getting punched in the head was just part of the problem. He wasn't the only enforcer doing that stuff either.

I disagree. And if that's the mentality players nowadays have, it needs to be changed. The World Cup of Hockey/Canada Cup used to be a very, very prestigious event. Some of the best hockey games in history happened here. Think back to the 1987 Canada Cup Final between Canada and USSR. Or the 1996 World Cup of Hockey Final between Canada and the United States. I dare someone to find me better hockey than what was played during those tournaments. It was intense, exciting and important to the players involved. I'm all for bringing this excitement back to hockey. Not sure if the way this competition was set up will do it, though. The slap in the face to Slovakia didn't help.

Who else wishes Jagr still had that mullet in the selfie?

Don't open the link if you're squeamish or have good taste. http://www.si.com/nhl/2015/09/16/new-york-islanders-new-alternative-jerseys

Didn't boxers have all those issues, though? Boxing had been around a long time by the 1980's. Everyone knew what "punch drunk" meant. Yes, the research has shed more light on what the brain of a football player or hockey player looks like. It's shed more light on the long-term effects you listed.

Speaking of this tournament, who is going to coach Team "Rest of Europe"? (I mean Slovakia and friends)

The research is, but it's basic common sense that getting punched in the head for a living isn't good for you. These guys had concussions. They had to have known they didn't feel OK. They must have thrown up many times after games. They couldn't have been oblivious to the dangers of their specialty. Unfortunately, in those days enforcers didn't want to tell coaches about concussions, because it would make them look weak and not invincible. I remember reading an interview with Ryan Vandenbussche where he stated something similar about being afraid to admit he played with concussions. The research and the recent player deaths/depression have shed more light on this issue and the long-term effects. However, I refuse to believe guys like Probert and Ewen didn't know that what they were doing was hazardous for their health. First off, Probert wasn't a jobber. He was a pretty good player. Secondly, read my post above. Are you trying to say these guys thought getting punched in the head every night would have no long-term effects? I doubt it. Maybe they didn't give a crap and were riding the lifestyle, but they had to have known.

What happened to Peter Laviolette?

This is really sad, but that's how it is in sports where hits to the head are common. Every enforcer from his generation knew what risks they were taking. It's too early to tell why he committed suicide. Maybe his life was in a bad state. But if they study his brain, of course it will look different than an average person's brain. The average person didn't get punched in the head as often as he did. BTW, for those who may not know, Todd Ewen is the only guy who ever KO'd Bob Probert. He played for many teams and had tons of other fights and big wins, but that's what I'll always remember him for most. Here's the video.

I doubt she was innocent. She had to be in on this. And she's dating a member of the Czech junior team while taking pictures with Jagr of all people. Total strumpet. As for the source, you can google "Jagr" and see this same headline from about 8 or 9 sources. That was Peter Worrell, not Lilja.

I didn't know Canadians were so cheap.

I wonder how Lilja would have handled this situation?

If Stephen Weiss donated his salary for the last two years to charity, he could have matched Subban's contribution.

Remember when Keith Tkachuk showed up to Blues' training camp weighing 270 lbs?

Because Rechlicz will beat them all into a pulp.

The logo is not good. It could have been created by a 3 year old.

Or a Brooklyn Dodgers jersey.

How come the Brooklyn Brawler wore Yankees stuff on most of his tattered clothing? They play in the Bronx. Whoever designed this jersey and colors should have been thrown in a prison somewhere in Manitoba.

The killer whale Canuck was actually worse than the stick logo, simply because the current colors are better. However, Vancouver should have kept the Halloween colors from the early 90's. Those were awesome. The Flying V was interesting too, but was too corny to last. Here's a question. Since they want to associate with Brooklyn, why still have "NY" written on the jersey? They're trying to keep the worst of both worlds here. Nets colors but keep the NY lettering.

Who is AA? Antti Aalto?