Flyers' Claude Giroux scores sneaky goal on faceoff (VIDEO)

Claude Giroux broke his six-game goal-scoring drought with what might be the most unique goal of the year.

The Flyers captain lined up for a faceoff against the Sharks on the offensive side of the ice and put his hand on his stick as though he would be sending it back to one of his teammates. But as soon as the puck hit the ice, Giroux deftly shot the puck towards San Jose goalie Martin Jones, who was caught slightly off guard.

Jones tried to knock the puck down with his mask, but instead deflected it between his own legs and in. 

Sneaky Claude Giroux is the best Claude Giroux pic.twitter.com/u2XDmYkfyd

— Sons of Penn (@SonsofPenn) December 31, 2015

And this was something Giroux apparently had up his sweater sleeve for a while. Flyers analyst Chris Therrien said he was informed that Giroux had been practicing that move for a while, and spent extra time on it during the Flyers' most recent practice.

So Giroux just straight up shot the puck into the net off a face-off. https://t.co/q8eXPtusdf

— NHL (@NHL) December 31, 2015

A goal is a goal, eh?

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.

Flyers lose in final seconds when Braydon Coburn trips own goalie (VIDEO)

The Sharks pulled out a unique 2-1 victory against the struggling Flyers when defenseman Braydon Coburn tripped up his own goalie to set up Matt Nieto's winning goal in the final seconds Tuesday night.

The unintentional empty-netter occurred when Coburn chased after Nieto who was going for a rebound attempt. Flyers goalie Steve Mason came out of the net to defend and his left pad was rammed into by Coburn's left leg.

The result was a Nieto backhander into the unguarded net with 11.5 seconds to go.

Game Winner #SJSharks #PHIvsSJS https://t.co/vPWlUT1j3X
— San Jose Sharks (@SanJoseSharks) December 3, 2014

The slumping  Flyers keep finding different ways to lose. This backbreaker gives them a 1-8-1 record in their last 10 games.

Rangers score two goals in four seconds in victory over Sharks (VIDEO)

The New York Rangers scored two goals in four seconds against the Sharks Sunday night and it happened so fast, San Jose goalie Alex Stalock wasn't even certain it really happened.

Amazingly, the two quick scores by Martin St. Louis and Rick Nash wasn't a record. They tied a mark set by Kris King and James Patrick in 1991. But the second goal in that game was scored into an empty net.

St. Louis scored the first goal at 19:16 of the second period:



Four seconds later Rick Nash got the puck into the Sharks' net with 39 seconds remaining before the break.



The Rangers went on to win, 4-0.

Flyers fans boo 'Ice Guys' who replaced 'Ice Girls' at Wells Fargo Center (VIDEO)

The boo-birds were tuned and ready for the Philadelphia Flyers' first preseason game at Wells Fargo Center Monday night. But most of the noise wasn't directed at any skaters during the game — it was for the dudes on the ice during game stoppages.

It became very clear early in the game that the crowd's hostility was reserved for the new all-male ice clearing crew who replaced the "Ice Girls" this season.

Wearing black pants and orange fleece jackets, the 12 young men skated out for their appointed jobs — only to be booed louder than Sidney Crosby until they left the ice — three times in the first period alone.

The change in personnel happened after the Ice Girls were replaced amid reports that they were unhappy with work conditions and pay.

A familiar lament surrounding sports these days.

Meanwhile, in San Jose, the Sharks altered the uniform for their "Ice Crew" this offseason with the girls now in skimpy outfits, while the guys remained in regular track suits. 

That move prompted protest and outrage among Sharks fans who feel the uniforms serve no purpose but to objectify women.

I don't remember any such problems when there was only the asexual Zamboni.

Concussion alters Rick Nash’s perspective on NHL 'headshots'

Rick Nash claims his whole outlook at hockey changed after Sharks defenseman Brad Stuart delivered the concussion-inducing headshot (video below) in San Jose on Oct. 8 that sidelined him for six weeks and 17 games.

The Rangers winger claims he wasn't expecting flowers, or anything from Hallmark for that matter, but Nash told the N.Y. Post he would have handled the situation differently if was on the other end of the play.

“Maybe he didn’t think it was so bad, I don’t know; not getting a call or text isn’t anything I’ve thought about,” said the Rangers’ winger, who returned to the lineup for Tuesday’s 2-1 loss to the Bruins. “I don’t think he was obligated.

“But for me, I would somehow have reached out to the guy under a similar circumstance. I don’t ever want to be in that spot or put anyone in that situation, but if so, I would do that.“We’re all in this together.”

The 29-year-old Nash said the comparatively lengthy recovery process attached to what was his second concussion in eight months has altered his perspective.

“I’ve come to realize that with all this stuff going on, I’m going to have more than half of my life to live after I retire,” he said. “There’s a lot to life after hockey.

“Headshots are a serious problem in the game. You see them all the time,” said Nash, whose team will play in Dallas on Thursday to open a five-game trip including stops in Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida and Boston. “You watch the highlights and it seems like there’s a headshot every night.

“Something has to change.”

Stuart was suspended for three games for the questionable hit. And Nash agrees. But he won't put the onus of safety entirely on VP Brendan Shanahan, the Department of Player Safety or the NHL. The burden, Nash believes, is on the players to change their behavior.

“As a union, all the players are in it together,” Nash said. “I understand how it happens, the game is so fast, things happen quickly, and I know that I’ve had some hits that have been close calls, but we all have to take responsibility for changing some of the things we do out there.

“I understand that we don’t want to have huge suspensions for plays that are spontaneous and I’m OK with that, but the players as a group and the union have to take more responsibility for stopping these kinds of hits,” he said. “It’s up to the guys to have more respect for each other and our careers.”

Nash, who played just under 18 minutes  in his return, said he is playing with a clear mind; unafraid and unencumbered by doubt regarding his well-being on the ice.

“I’m confident. I know we covered every angle,” he said. “The organization made sure that I was checked by specialists, got all the time I needed and all the answers I was looking for.

“A big part of my recovery and me feeling as secure as I do is because the organization was so supportive. I couldn’t ask for more.”

Dan Boyle stretchered off ice after nasty hit from behind (VIDEO)

There was much concern during the first period of Tuesday night's game between the St. Louis Blues and San Jose Sharks after defenseman Dan Boyle was taken off the ice on a stretcher.

Boyle was playing the puck in the corner boards when Maxim Lapierre hit the Sharks player from behind. Fights broke out all over the ice after the hit while Boyle lay motionless in the corner and the Sharks trainer ran onto the ice to help him. Eventually Boyle was taken off the ice on a stretcher and Lapierre was given a five-minute major for boarding

The good news is that things do sound encouraging for Boyle via this tweet.

#SJSharks spokesman says: "Dan was alert and moving his extremities and has been taken to a local hospital for evaluation."
— Kevin Kurz (@KKurzCSN) October 16, 2013

Brad Stuart gets 3-game suspension for high hit on Rick Nash (VIDEO)

A day after bumbling through a 9-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, the New York Rangers used Wednesday to regroup before playing their fourth game on a long, season-opening road trip against the Ducks, probably without star Rick Nash, who likely suffered a concussion on a high hit from defenseman Brad Stuart.

After a disciplinary phone hearing Wednesday with Brendan Shanahan, senior vice president of the NHL's Department of Public Safety, Stuart was suspended three games.

Nash, who played seven more shifts after Stuart's hard hit at 2:32 of the first period, said afterward that he had a "headache," but didn't feel it at first. "It got worse as it went on. It just didn't feel right. I haven't seen a replay, but he caught me right across the head, so, I guess it's a head shot. I felt it right across here," pointing to the right side of his face and jaw.

"Anytime you get a headshot you're concerned, to feel the way it feels. It's not a good feeling."

Nash previously suffered a concussion in February 2012 on a hit from behind by Boston's Milan Lucic and was on injured reserve for four games.

Receipt shows loyal Vancouver hockey fan cancelled pizza pick-up because game was tied

Nothing takes precedence over getting your pizza home before it gets cold. That is usually true unless you're a die hard Vancouver Canucks fan and the game is too close to call.

The latest restaurant receipt with a comment to go viral shows a loyal Canucks fan cancelling his pizza pickup because his team was tied with the San Jose Sharks in a tense Game 2 battle Friday night — and he refused to leave his house.

A picture of the receipt, posted to the r/funny subreddit Saturday by BrandiBean, proves hockey is always king in Canada even if it means letting the pie get as cold as the rink.

The receipt, originally for one large pizza for pick-up with extra chicken, was voided and turned into a delivery because "canucks have tied game, [customer] cannot leave house to pickup."

The fan that ordered this particular large pie, however, probably lost his appetite anyway.  The Canucks lost Game 2 of their Western Conference quarter-final with the Sharks in a heart-breaking, 3-2 overtime loss.

Dan Boyle goes berserk on Corey Perry after 'sucker-punch'

The gloves literally flew off both Dan Boyle and Corey Perry's hands after the San Jose Shark's defenseman took offense at his one-time Team Canada teammate Perry's stick to the ribs late in the third period of the Sharks' 4-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks.

Boyle flipped out after they batted all game but it seemed like known agitator Perry's contact on a shorthanded odd-man rush was the real turning point.

"On the short-handed goal, [Perry] sucker-punched me in the face," he said. "It just kind of carried on from there."

See if you can spot the punch to the face that Boyle retaliated for in the video below.

Young Brain Tumor Survivor Attacked At San Jose Sharks Game

San Jose police are investigating a 16-year old's claim that she was assaulted at a Sharks game at HP Pavilion because she was wearing a Vancouver Canucks jersey.

Maggie Herger— a brain tumor survivor— told authorities she suffered a concussion after a loud, drunken fan hit her on the head during the second period of the Wednesday night NHL game.

As Herger was being taken away by EMT's, a Shark's fan told her to "suck it up," according to the Mercury News.

"I just wanted to cry," she told the newspaper.  "Who does that?"

The young Canadian women has a good reason to cheer for the Canucks.  She told reporters she started rooting for the team after they visited her in the hospital four years ago while she was recovering from brain surgery.

Herger said the same fan who razzed her while being taken to an ambulance also said, "You're faking it, you don't need an ambulance."

An examination revealed that Herger suffered a mild concussion from the hit.

According to the Sharks, the accused fan— a middle-aged woman— told police the contact was accidental and happened while celebrating a Shark's goal.

The young woman told police that her 18-year old sister, Maya, bought the tickets for her as a Christmas present and they tried to avoid clashing with the rowdy fans surrounding them.

Herger claims her assailant went crazy after a goal and smacked her in the back of her head.

Police have not made any arrests and the Sharks issued a statement which read in part:  "Upon being interviewed, others seated in the area of the incident did not report seeing the contact between  the parties involved."

Herger, who was released from the hospital, said she was nauseated, on medication and still had pain in her neck but wouldn't let the incident keep her from cheering for her favorite team.

"I would be terrified and would want to go with my dad or security guards," she said.  "But I would love to go back."

If it's any consolation to Herger, the Canucks—who are tied for first in the Western Conference— beat the Sharks 3-2 in overtime.

Jurors in Casey Anthony Trial Will See Recording of Lightning-Bruins Playoff Game

The jurors in the Casey Anthony murder trial found out this morning they will be allowed to watch a recorded tape of tonight's Game 7 Stanley Cup Playoff match-up between their home team, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Boston Bruins.  The 12 jurors and five alternates broke out in applause when Judge Belvin Perry announced his decision regarding the big game.

The sequestered Clearwater, Florida jury, selected from the Tampa Bay area, was transported to Orlando after Judge Perry made arrangements for Friday's 8 p.m. EST game to be recorded and shown later to the jurors of the highly-publicized case.

This is the first Game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals in five years and will be played at the TD Garden in Boston.

Anthony was charged with 1st degree murder after her 2 year-old daughter was found dead in 2008.  The polarizing trial has received a lot of national media attention.

The winner of tonight's Lightning-Bruins game will face the Vancouver Canucks in the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Canucks defeated the San Jose Sharks in five games.

The murder trial began Tuesday with opening statements after 11 days of jury selection.  The trial is expected to last about two months.

The finals series begin Wed. June 1 in Vancouver and a game seven would be played there on June 15.

Which means, if the Lightning win tonight, the jurors will probably continue seeing delayed tapes of the Lightning games throughout the Finals.