Christmas Eve Eve

hockeyfights.com is about to go into holiday-mode here on the day before the day before Christmas.

I’ll try and answer any emails, John and I may make a blog post or two, and we’ll update most logs, but any NHL videos from today won’t be posted until Christmas night or the next day.

Merry Christmas, and enjoy the day off if you have it.

The Cam comparisons will come

Milan Lucic has 7 points and 52 PIMs in 30 games.  He’s a plus-3 and 2 of his 3 goals are game-winners.  40 of his 52 PIMs come from fighting majors, which has already made him an instant hit in Boston.  A good bout against the Blues’ Barret Jackman at home yesterday only added to his popularity.

Few knew what to expect from the 19-year old this eason.  It was thought he may spend at least part of the season with the Vancouver Giants.  He had 30 goals and 38 assists in 70 games with the WHL team last year.

Lucic has quickly cemented his spot on the B’s roster though, and as he develops a scoring touch in the NHL the inevitable comparisons to city treasure Cam Neely will come.  It’s a pressure that has little comparison in most NHL cities and how he handles it will determine what type of player he can become at the elite level.

Lucic recently answered some fan email over on The Hockey News’ website.

An in-depth look at concussions

The Toronto Star takes a good look at concussions, how they affect the game, the players and their families.  It’s feature rich with video, slideshows and personal accounts: Critical Condition: The human toll of hockey concussions.  There’s a link list to the right of the article.

Wayne Fish of phillyBurbs.com has a related story about Simon Gagne’s recovery from his concussion.

Ridiculous

Kids are planning hockey fights on Facebook.  Leave the game on the ice.  If you really need a reason why, just look at the Bertuzzi-Moore incident and what can happen if someone’s hurt when revenge is announced.

Videos added

D.J. King vs Shawn Thornton Dec 22, 2007
Barret Jackman vs Milan Lucic Dec 22, 2007
Nathan Paetsch vs Mike Richards Dec 22, 2007
Andrew Peters vs Riley Cote Dec 22, 2007
Arron Asham vs Zack Stortini Dec 21, 2007
Steve Ott vs Mark Smith Dec 21, 2007
Ryan Hollweg vs Ian Laperriere Dec 21, 2007
Brandon Dubinsky vs Cody McLeod Dec 21, 2007

As mentioned above, some action from today, depending on what happens, of course, will be filled in after the holiday.  So will a few others, such as the first Peters-Cote bout.  Also, downloads will be updated.

We will fill in some minors and juniors vids over the next few days as well.  The videos page will provide those updates (or the feed).

I need a way to avoid my family reads

Asham in swing of things
Pens’ Crosby on fight: ‘I did all right’
Simon simply not learning lesson
Kelly’s strong voice backs a large agenda
Ramage ‘has paid the price’
Phoenix rising ... and the fall of the Kings
Fights up, scores down in NHL
Skill hiding among the violence
Carcillo to miss 6-8 weeks
Boyes plays like a man
Cherry defends suspended Simon