Jaromir Jagr loses four teeth in game, asks Santa for new ones (VIDEO)

Things seem to be coming — and going — in fours for Jaromir Jagr lately. The soon to be 44-year-old Panthers winger recently took over sole possession for fourth all-time in goals. And on Tuesday, he had four teeth poked out of his mouth after taking a high stick to the face against the Ottawa Senators.

Here's the video:



Jagr remained in the game after the first period dental work and even had a breakaway later.

“I lost some teeth but I gained some speed as you saw on that breakaway,” said Jagr about his overtime opportunity.

“I don’t want to hear I’m slow anymore. I had the breakaway. I don’t think I’ll have another one for 10 years.”

The Panthers eventually went on to defeat the Senators 2-1 in a shootout for their fifth straight win. 

And Jagr? Guess what he wanted from Santa?

Dear Santa, can I get a new teeth for Christmas :) it's going to be tough to eat-good -at least I don't get fat :))) pic.twitter.com/mifGcolCdP

— Jaromir Jagr (@68Jagr) December 23, 2015

Barclays Center implements new booze policies at Islanders games after brawl (VIDEO)

Barclays Center is planning to cut off serving booze earlier during future games in response to a viral video of an ugly brawl at Tuesday's Islanders game inside the Brooklyn arena.

Several witnesses in attendance at the Islanders-Panthers game claimed Barclays Center security roughed up some fans.

The man and woman, who have not been identified, were reportedly standing in a handicapped area when security stepped in. A scuffle ensued and a video shows a man on the ground surrounded by a number of blazer-wearing security personnel. Although the video shows fans going after the security personnel as well.

@KFCBarstool fight at the islanders game pic.twitter.com/OTwR5Iep0t

— Scottie Wrbs (@AirWrbaa) December 16, 2015

As a result of the scuffle, Barclays Center issued a statement on Friday outlining new measures for its staff and patrons at Islanders games following an altercation in the stands during Tuesday’s game.

“On Tuesday night, December 15, there was an altercation during an Islanders game when arena staff tried to restrict guests from accessing an unauthorized area,” the statement said. “Management immediately initiated an investigation, including reviewing all videos, meeting with staff and speaking to fans who were involved in, or witnessed, the incident. Law enforcement authorities were also notified of the incident. Any parties found to have acted inappropriately or in violation of arena policies, and of course the law, will be dealt with accordingly.”

Barclays Center is also implementing a five-point plan going forward:

*Reinforce security and guest services training with staff.

*Further communicate Barclays Center alcohol policies to fans, which includes two-drink-per-purchase limit.

*End beer and alcohol sales at the end of the second intermission.

*Convene season-ticket-holder focus groups within 30 days to discuss arena-fan relations.

*Remind all guests of Barclays Center’s zero tolerance for any type of racial or discriminatory language or behavior.

There will be no changes to the alcohol policy for Nets games or other events.

The NHL does not have a league-wide policy on when to end alcohol sales and leaves it up to each venue to make the call on last call.

Panthers holding public tryouts for practice goalie

After the Florida Panthers ran out of goaltenders the other night, the team announced an open amateur tryout to find a backup practice goalie for a day.

Both Panthers goalies, Roberto Luongo and Al Montoya, suffered injuries in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Maple Leafs, forcing 41-year-old goalie coach Robb Tallas to take over the netminding duties.

So any hockey fan who wants to practice with the team can try out March 16 at 4 p.m. at the BB&T Center. A group will be selected, and Tallas, who signed a professional tryout contract during Tuesday's bizarre game before Luongo returned, will oversee the tryout.

Two finalists will then go head-to-head during an intermission of Florida's game against Montreal on March 17, and the winner gets a contract.

The "Goal of a Lifetime'' contest rules are also pretty vague about the applicant's skills.

"The Panthers want prospective goalies to submit a playing resume. The team doesn’t elaborate what sort of experience it’s looking for, so beer league goalies, feel free to apply."

"We look forward to welcoming goaltenders from across South Florida to this open tryout," said Tallas, who hadn't played in an NHL game since 2001. "It promises to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the goaltender who is selected to serve as our team's back-up practice goalie for a day."

The Panthers will let fans try out to become their backup practice goalie: http://t.co/VLyigdsX63 pic.twitter.com/03BPpoGjbZ
— SI NHL (@SI_NHL) March 6, 2015

The winning goalie will receive two complimentary tickets for each home game remaining in the 2014-15 regular season, a team-signed jersey and will be featured on Fox Sports Florida during an intermission segment.

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is open to all men and women 18 or older. Any interested applicants must submit their playing resume to FloridaPanthers.com/backupgoalie.

The Islanders' 'Fisherman' jerseys are coming back: Report

The New York Islanders are playing their best hockey over the past twenty years and now they have found a way to remind fans of all the futility they seemed to have left behind.

While Islanders fans thought they had seen the last of the snarling fisherman when the team ditched the logo after two years, it’s coming back — for one night only.

And to help celebrate (?) their final season at the Nassau Coliseum before making the move to Brooklyn, what better way better to remind soon-to-be-displaced fans of the losing teams of the 90's than bringing back a symbol more associated with a Gorton's fish platter than the Stanley Cup.

Even if it's only for a short time.

Bid now on the new "Fisherman" jerseys to be worn by the #Isles in warmups on Feb. 3 --> http://t.co/wGmcPKlBxz
— New York Islanders (@NYIslanders) January 9, 2015

The Islanders will wear the special jersey with the fisherman crest only during the pregame warmups for their Feb. 3 game against the Florida Panthers.

The Islanders will also auction the jerseys off for charity between Jan. 9 and Jan. 27 giving fans an opportunity to win one to keep all for themselves.

The fisherman is widely viewed as one of the worst jerseys — with one of the worst logos — belonging to any NHL team and reanimating it begs the question: Is it camp, nostalgia or a cruel joke?

Fish stick anyone?

Capitals' Braden Holtby loses puck in his pads (VIDEO)

Braden Holtby did a little magic trick during the Capitals’ 4-3 win Sunday over the Panthers by making the puck disappear.

Only problem was that the Washington goalie lost it in his pads.

Early in the third period, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad launched a shot from above the left circle and Holtby caught it inside his layers of padding.

After a short delay — and an awkward pat-down by his teammates — Holtby finally laid a little black egg on the ice.

Eight-year-old cancer survivor fist-bumps every Boston Bruins player (VIDEO)

There was an amazing moment at TD Garden Tuesday night and it had nothing to do with the action during the Bruins-Panthers NHL match-up. In fact, it is what happened during the pre-game warm-ups before the Bruins' 2-1 OT victory that is worth seeing again.

Liam Fitzgerald, a brave 8-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who successfully battled cancer got to fist bump all the players on his favorite hockey team. And if the adorable reaction from Liam and the players alike doesn't get you, your heart must be colder than the surface the players skate on.

Footage of the  exchange between Liam — wearing a Bruins team hat and jacket —  and the players went viral with nearly 1.5 million views:

Boston.com reported that Liam was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was just four-years-old. After three and a half years of battling the grueling illness he survived but didn't let it stop him from rooting for his favorite teams — namely the Bruins and the Red Sox.

Liam visited Fenway Park this past summer as a guest of starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, but Boston.com reports that Liam's true love is the Bruins and he even dressed up as defenseman Adam McQuaid for Halloween last year.

The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, who has a partnership with the Bruins Foundation for an annual charity fundraiser, told McQuaid that Liam is a big fan of his, so the player invited the little guy and his family to the Bruins game.

Liam was beaming as he met Milan Lucic, Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand, and even former Bruins Johnny Boychuk and Shawn Thornton.

"It not the attention, it’s the smile they bring to his face," said his mom, Christine Fitzgerald.

And that smile is pretty infectious.

Panthers hand out Tim Thomas bobbleheads after he was traded (PHOTO)

Talk about poorly timed promotions, the Florida Panthers gave away Tim Thomas bobbleheads to the first 7,500 fans on Sunday. This was a little problem, of course, because Tim Thomas is no longer with the Panthers, traded on Wednesday to Dallas.

The organization already had the bobbleheads made, though, so they went through with the promotion even with Roberto Luongo starting against Boston.

It's Tim Thomas bobblehead day at the Panthers game. Yes, still. pic.twitter.com/gdqjn0U2Fg
— Amalie Benjamin (@AmalieBenjamin) March 9, 2014

To try and make things right, the Panthers also gave out Roberto Luongo posters to fans with a shot from his first stint with the organization. 

The big winners — the fans.

Everyone in attendance will receive a Luongo poster! First 7500 can also take home a Thomas Bobblehead. pic.twitter.com/a26QjFGvaE
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) March 9, 2014

[CBSSports]

NHL quiet about Nash's cheap hit on Kopecky

It's entirely possible Rick Nash could hear from Brendan Shanahan and the NHL's Department of Player Safety about the vicious back of the head shot the New York Ranger leveled against Tomas Kopecky Thursday night. But the NHL has been pretty quiet about the cheap shot and that silence speaks volumes.

"There will be no hearing on Nash..." tweeted Larry Brooks of The New York Post Friday afternoon, "Boggles the mind."

Late in the third period of the Rangers 3-1 loss to the Florida Panthers, Nash came flying in as Tomas Kopecky took a shot from between the circles that was saved by Henrik Lundqvist.

As replays showed, Nash left his feet and apparently elbowed him in the back of Kopecky's head. The Panthers forward, who wasn't facing Nash, was down on the ice without his helmet for a few seconds and skated off. Nash wasn't called for a penalty.

The Rangers don't play again until Sunday, so the NHL might still be reviewing it.

Nash wasn't penalized in the game and isn't a known goon while Kopecky finished the game on the bench, but the hit does deserve some sort of punishment.

Actually, it appears as if there will be no hearing on Nash...Boggles the mind.
— Larry Brooks(@NYP_Brooksie) March 22, 2013

Devils win Game 7 in double-overtime classic

The New Jersey Devils won Game 7 of their first-round Eastern Conference match-up against the Florida Panthers— on a goal by Adam Henrique in 3:37 of the second overtime period— after blowing 2-0 lead.

The two teams went into the first OT tied, 2-2 and basically played dump-and-shoot hockey after regulation was over.

It was the Devils first playoff series win since 2007 propels the exhausted team into the second round against the Philadelphia Flyers— ending five years of playoff frustration.

The 3-2 win also put a sweet finish on a tough seven game series against a solid Panthers team who made  the Devils fight for every goal to win the final two games and move on.

Martin Brodeur had 43 saves and was magnificent in the first OT period.  It was his 103rd playoff victory in what might be his last playoff run.

The game had an unusually late starting time of 8:30 pm Thursday, even though the game was played in South Florida, because of another Game 7 playoff game between the New York Rangers and Ottawa Senators in the same time zone in New York.

By the time Henrique's game winner went by Panthers goalie Jose Theodore, it was 12:15 am on Friday morning.

Panthers president blames Devils fans for rat problem

The rats are back on the South Florida ice during the New Jersey Devils- Florida Panthers Eastern Conference first-round playoff series and the the NHL isn't happy.

Despite repeated pleas from the public-address announcer and plenty of notices on their arena's massive center-ice scoreboard— saying anyone caught throwing a rat during the game would be ejected, plus risk the team getting a two-minute penalty for delay of game— a lot of fans do not heed the warning.  Dozens get thrown into the rink after every Florida goal.

Now, Michael Yormack— the Panthers team president— is blaming Devils fans for causing the disruptions.

Today, Yormack tweeted about the visiting snowbirds sabotaging the game:

"Panthers will not sell rats at pantherland.  This is a result of visiting fans throwing rats on the ice during the game."

If that is true, it looks like there must be thousands of Devils fans filling the Panthers home ice— because there about that many plastic rodents covering the ice after a game.  And that's funny because most times the Devils can barely fill their own home arena back in Jersey.



Yormack's wild assertion that Devils fans are trying to cause penalties with "Rat Tricks" was challenged and ridiculed by the team's followers on Twitter.

One user tweeted back: "@PanthersYormack is making an ass of himself and the organization."

To which Yormack tweeted back: "you have 70 followers.  No one cares what you think."

Others called Yormack an "utter moron" and worse.

The "old-time hockey" series between these teams has been relatively tame compared to other violent first-round match-ups and the biggest controversy so far is a bunch of rubber rats.

It's actually pretty funny that these days, an NHL executive will take to Twitter to defend his organization and get into it with rival fans by tweeting insults back and forth.

The Devils travel back down to Florida for a do-or-die Game 7 on Thursday.

Sounds like the real rat problem is in the Panthers front office.