Coyotes' Mike Smith rocks terrifying Alice Cooper mask against Canucks (PHOTOS)

You don’t have to be a fan of rock legend Alice Cooper to appreciate this nightmarish-looking goalie mask worn by Phoenix Coyotes goalie Mike Smith Thursday night.

Smith wore the Alice Cooper-themed mask for their game against the Vancouver Canucks in honor of the Arizona native and longtime fan of the Coyotes. The original shock-rock star even came to the game to check out artist David Arrigo’s goal's out design himself.

Coyotes G Mike Smith will wear this "interesting" Alice Cooper themed mask tonight vs Canucks. (via @RealAliceCooper) pic.twitter.com/HvmCwVl2P9
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 6, 2015

The Coyotes went retro on Throwback Thursday against the Canucks, donning throwback jerseys on a night they honored former forward Jeremy Roenick.

Another one from the @ArizonaCoyotes game with #MikeSmith and his new mask by @darrigoart! #ThrowbackInBlack @NHL pic.twitter.com/pvLKrdzElK
— Alice Cooper (@RealAliceCooper) March 6, 2015

And no chickens or baby dolls were injured in the making of this night.

Maple Leafs' Tyler Bozak under fire for Michael Jackson Halloween costume

Some people are calling Tyler Bozak Bad and not in a good way.  The Toronto Maple Leafs center is getting a lot of heat after posting a picture of his Halloween costume — as the late pop singer Michael Jackson — on Instagram late Tuesday night.

Critics immediately jumped on Bozak for dressing in blackface and — after realizing it might not have been such a good idea — he pulled the crotch-grabbing pose shortly after tweeting the photo.

The low-scoring Bozak defended himself after the controversy and stood up for his actions in another tweet.

"That's a tribute to one of my favorite artists," he posted.  "For anyone saying it's racist is crazy!"

 Bozak's controversial photo follows a recent trend of NHL players donning blackface on Halloween.  Adam Burish and Patrick Kane partied as Dennis Rodman and Scottie Pippen in 2009 and Phoenix Coyotes forward Raffi Torres and his wife dressed as Jay-Z and Beyonce last year.

Torres' costume created such a media backlash, the Coyotes organization found it necessary to defend their player with a statement calling the accusations of racism "ridiculous."

The Maple Leafs have not yet commented on the Bozak situation.

A lot of people right now are probably thinking the young Canadian just didn't realize that wearing blackface was offensive and insensitive to some but, it has been reported that Bozak previously dressed up as a Jamaican bobsledder two years ago.

Old Bozie might want to switch to whiteface and go as Bozo next year.

Ice girl goes noodling for catfish during Predators-Coyotes game

During the first period of last night's NHL Western conference quarterfinals match-up between the Nashville Predators and Phoenix Coyotes, the ice girl skated out and picked up a huge catfish a Nashville fan had thrown into the rink.  Not only did the pretty woman pick up the live, whiskered fish with a smile— she did it barehanded.

When you think of 'noodling,'  that southern pastime of huge catfish being caught by toothless men with their bare hands, you don't think of hockey— well, maybe the toothless part— but I guess that's the way things are done in Tennessee.



The blonde ice girl— wearing a short yellow outfit—skated out after the Predators had taken a 1-0 lead and picked up the still gasping, bottom dwelling, scavenger and happily skated off the ice to cheering fans.

It looked like some sort of hillbilly version of Disney on Ice's Beauty and the Beast.

Earlier a referee had to use a towel to pick up one of the fish (he must not be from down south).

The slimy, good luck charm seemed to work and Nashville  beat Phoenix 2-0.

Sean Avery Speaks Out For Gay Marriage; Gets Bashed For It

Who knew that New York Rangers hockey-goon and serial dater Sean Avery had such a soft spot for relationships?  The abrasive and controversial NHL winger appeared in an ad this week endorsing same-sex marriage for the Human Rights Campaign's New Yorkers for Marriage Equality drive.  Now Avery is garnering criticism for standing up for the group's message.

Avery might seem like an odd choice to appear in the video, along with former-President Bill Clinton, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and actors Julianne Moore and Sam Waterston,  which advocates gay marriage.

The polarizing Avery--who once interned a summer at Vogue magazine, got suspended for making nasty remarks about his ex-girlfriend actress Elisha Cuthbert and got bum-rushed from Dallas to New York for his dirty play and filthier mouth--has never fit squarely into any mold.  Supporting same-sex marriage in the macho world of professional sports is another twist in his colorful image.

"I treat everyone the way that I expect to be treated, and that includes marriage," said Avery.

It would have been easier for Avery to stump for other popular, cut-and-dry social issues like safe-sex or drug use, but he took a position that even the most ardent Avery fans might not accept.