NHL Power Rankings, Dec. 21

Through games of Monday, Dec. 20: 1. (3) Philadelphia (22-8-5): Despite a 5-0 loss to Florida on Monday, not many teams are playing better than Philadelphia right now. The Flyers…

Jordan Staal Suffers Fractured Hand

By Mike Colligan Is there an end in sight to the constant stream of bad news for Pittsburgh Penguins forward Jordan Staal?  The former ‘Iron Man’ was nearing a return…

Malkin the ‘Russian Canadian’, Pronger’s Loose, and Lidstrom’s Future

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

~ Reports indicated Sidney Crosby is on the verge of signing a big endorsement deal with Reebok that would open the door for a new SC87 apparel line: “Crosby’s new deal with Reebok is said to be worth almost $10 million over the next seven years. Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, would not discuss the financial aspect of the deal and said it is not completed yet, “but things are going in the right direction.””

~ Evgeni Malkin gives his thoughts on Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, and how he’s becoming a ‘Russian Canadian’: “”Alex has such a talent that he quickly adapts to rink sizes, the style of play, plus he has this insolence, in a good way, helps him a lot. I think that right now he is already a ‘Canadian,’ you can say. This is what he is called in the NHL – the ‘Russian Canadian,’ because he completes so many hits in a game. In this setting he’s like a knife in butter.”

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