Islanders to replace Ice Girls squad with co-ed crew after move to Brooklyn: Report

In a move that reeks more of political correctness than equal opportunity, the New York Islanders said they are thawing out their Ice Girls squad and replacing them with a co-ed ice cleaning crew.

The NHL hockey team is dropping the sexy, cheerleader-like team when it moves from Nassau Coliseum to Barclays Center in Brooklyn this fall, according to Sports Illustrated.

“We decided to go in a different direction,” Barry Baum, spokesman for the Barclays Center, told the magazine.

“We’ve spent a lot of time talking with Islanders fans who made it clear they wanted their favorite traditions brought to Brooklyn, and we have listened.”

The Islanders were the first team in the NHL to introduce an all-female ice cleaning squad back in 2001. Besides shoveling loose snow off the ice at stoppages, they performed various promotional duties.

Other teams — such as the Philadelphia Flyers and the Los Angeles Kings — soon followed suit.

But then came the protests from some who felt the female skaters' sometimes revealing attire was both unnecessary and demeaning to female fans.

The Flyers ended up dumping their Ice Girls after bowing to pressure, but later went co-ed  after fans booed the all-male crew at every timeout.

But Islanders fans need not despair as many members of the team will remain on the new co-ed squad.

Baum said the team will be tasked with “helping create the best ice possible as mandated by the NHL.”

Curious crow videobombs NHL webcam at Levi's Stadium (VIDEO)

The NHL made a time-lapse video of the rink they were constructing in Levi’s Stadium for the Feb. 21 Stadium Series game between the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. 

And had an unexpected visitor.

This curious crow seems to be squawking into the webcam — probably something about the Seahawks, Harbaugh or some other flighty things.

Hey little guy, you might be happier 3,000 miles east inside M&T Bank Stadium with all of your other Raven buddies.

NYC mayor Bill de Blasio sings 'I Love L.A.' after losing Stanley Cup bet (VIDEO)

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio humbly warbled Randy Newman's "I Love L.A." on the late-night talk show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Monday night — settling a bet with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti after the Rangers lost to the Kings in the NHL finals.

"He lost the bet, and now he's going to pay," Kimmel said before de Blasio's performance.

De Blasio wore an "I love LA" T-shirt for his appearance and sang alongside 10 children from the 52nd Street Project arts program, broadcast live to Kimmel and Garcetti in Los Angeles via satellite from Times Square.

"Jimmy, I always wanted to meet you, but not like this, man," de Blasio said, later joking that he was in a "hostage situation." 

"We in New York honor our bets, but I don't have that great a singing voice."

The mayor and the kids conveniently skipped the verse that criticized New York City as cold and damp.

"Mayor de Blasio, you look like a counselor at the worst camp ever," Kimmel joked.

But real New York fans know De Blasio is a Massachusetts native, who was raised as a fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots.

Henrik Lundqvist literally inconsolable after Rangers loss (PHOTOS)

Henrik Lundqvist just finished playing one of the greatest series as a goaltender in NHL Finals history and, as he lay splayed on the ice after Alec Martinez's goal Friday night, was heartbroken to realize the Kings goalie, Jonathan Quick, was just a couple of overtimes better.

The Kings had finished a 3-2 double-overtime victory over the Rangers, to finish an improbable playoff run and capture their second Stanley Cup Championship in three years, and Lundqvist wanted no part of it — or anyone.

After his 48-save game, Lundqvist sat at his locker stall with his hands covering his face, refusing to be consoled from even his closest teammates.

This picture says it all. Henrik deserved better. RT @svtlehmann: En otröstlig @HLundqvist30 pic.twitter.com/g4Nvuzm2IJ #NYR
— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) June 14, 2014

When King Henrik finally did speak, it was the words of a man whose team had come so far over the last two months and still thought there was more to go.

“I knew going into this series that it would end in tears,” the Swedish goaltender finally said after pausing to collect his thoughts when asked to put it all in perspective. “Tears of joy or tears of heartbreak.

“Right now it’s extremely tough.”

Lundqvist finally came to grips with the fact that his brilliant play could only carry the Rangers so far.

“To play a game like this, you hope some guy scores the big goal for you,” Lundqvist said. “It was exhausting to play. … It was exciting to be out there, but sooner or later something is going to happen.”

pic.twitter.com/UNYCilTEKm
— Marie Lehmann (@svtlehmann) June 14, 2014

Now he can only imagine what might have been.

Rangers' Derick Brassard blindsides Kings' Dustin Brown (VIDEO)

In Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final Wednesday night, Derick Brassard delivered a check to the body of Los Angeles Kings captain Dustin Brown in the second period. Brown was slammed into the boards and went down immediately.

Brown lay on the ice for a few moments and was tended to by a Kings trainer. He skated to the Kings' bench, but didn't go to the locker room.

Brassard was called for a two-minute boarding minor. The Rangers killed off the penalty and the score remained tied at 2. Brown returned to the game a few minutes later.

Brassard should know how a hard check feels. He missed a couple games of the Eastern Conference Final after a hard check by Montreal Canadiens' Mike Weaver.

The NHL Department of Player Safety takes a look at all these hits, but could this one cost the Rangers another player due to suspension?

Adam Carolla is the LA Kings' biggest 'fan'

Comedian Adam Carolla visited his old pal on the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show last night dressed in full Los Angeles Kings gear— including pads, helmet and on rollerblades— to show support for his "favorite" team.

Taking a jab at Los Angelelans— or whatever they're called— coming out of the woodwork during the Kings playoff run and hockey fever takes over the city, the Crank Yanker told Kimmel— his former co-host on "The Man Show"— he's "not  bandwagon guy."

"I was always talking about the Kings," Carolla joked.  "Hell to the no Jimmy.  I've been a King-natic, I call it, for many years."



When Kimmel quizzed the Kings "biggest fan" about the identity of the Kings' #32 on the back of Carolla's jersey, his guest got flustered and said, "Guy... Guy Robatusin?  Kobe?"

Carolla then squirted his face with water from a bottle.

"That was unnecessary," laughed Kimmel— who seemed a little confounded by Carolla's newfound loyalty to the Kings.

"It's weird, because when ever we'd work together on the radio, I'd go to Kings games all the time, and you really never came with me," Kimmel said.

"I was always talking about the Kings," Carolla responded before telling a touching story about how his father used to take little Adam to Kings games at the Staples Center.  One problem, Kimmel pointed out, the arena opened in 1999— when Carolla was 35-year old "boy."

Carolla's "favorite" team lost last night to the New Jersey Devils, 3-1.  I wonder how many Kings fans jumped off the bandwagon already.

It was probably about the black and white hockey jerseys anyway.

LA Kings fans taunt Devils bench with 'Jersey Shore' heads

Los Angeles Kings fans got a little creative in taunting their New Jersey Devils opponents during Game 3 of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals.

Behind the visiting team's bench, fans held up large cardboard heads of the cast members of the MTV reality show "Jersey Shore."

The gimmick might have worked after the Kings overwhelmed the Devils, 4-0 for a 3-0 series lead.  It looks like New Jersey will be doing more hand-wringing than fist-pumping leading up to Game 4.

There was no way the Devils players could avoid seeing the giant heads of The Situation, Pauly-D, J-Woww and the usually pint-sized Snooki being waved behind their bench.

Ronnie, Sammi Sweetheart, Vinny, Angelina or Deena were no where to be seen.

It was pretty funny to see the enormous heads bobbing up and down behind the players but, in reality, the Devils don't have any players from Jersey. Who knows if coach Peter DeBoer or the players even knew who they were.  Maybe if they held up giants heads of reality show stars from Stockholm or Moosejaw— they might have been in on the joke.

Anyway, kudos for the creativity.

If the Devils manage to pull out a victory in game 4, maybe New Jersey fans can make giant cutout  heads of the characters from "90210" or "The Real Housewives of Orange County?" I imagine closeups of those old broads would just be plain scary.