Daily Cupcakes - March 1st, 2012

There might be an elimination of fighting in junior hockey in Canada.

Ever since amateur hockey leagues started cracking down on hits to the head more than a decade ago, there was a major disconnect in rule books:

Bodychecks to the head were outlawed and stiff sanctions enacted, but punches to an opponent’s head were tacitly allowed. Sure, fighting was penalized with a five-minute major but players weren’t tossed from the game and supplemental discipline was the exception rather than the rule.

Amateur hockey organizations have already taken steps to close that loophole and one of major junior hockey’s most influential leaders wants his leagues to follow suit.

Canadian Hockey League commissioner David Branch told The New York Times on Monday that "the appetite is there" to eliminate fighting. Branch wasn’t available on Tuesday to discuss what type of rule changes could be proposed to ban fighting, but told the Times that "the time is certainly right to move forward."

A review of the movie Goon, apparently the goon isn't wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey.

Jay Baruchel left the New York premiere of his latest film when he was called out by NHL discipline czar Brendan Shanahan.

Baruchel laughed as he said he dropped to his knees and apologized to Shanahan for the blood-splattering blows thrown by meathead enforcer Doug Glatt in the hockey comedy, "Goon."

There was no stern-faced review from Shanahan. Instead, the former NHL forward told Baruchel he loved the ode to the hockey enforcer.

"I’ve got to discipline some guys," Baruchel said, recalling the moment, "and none of them are as bad as the boys in this movie. But he said that everything Doug did was clean and he would not be able to suspend Doug for anything."

CBC.ca has released their latest man games lost to injuries vs suspensions list. Go to CBC for the complete list.

Total - 1,154 man-games lost to head injuries so far this season.

Total - 116 games $2,005,205.41

An update on the NHL's Hockey is For Everyone initiative.

Fourteen years after the NHL developed its Hockey is for Everyone initiative, tens of thousands of inner city youth have benefitted from the chance to play hockey at little or no cost.

At a Congressional Hockey Caucus on Capitol Hill, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman stressed that the real benefits of the program go well beyond the rink.

"The NHL's Hockey is for Everyone initiative is about character development and life skills training," Bettman said Wednesday during a panel discussion which also included Ed Snider and Ted Leonsis, majority owners of the Philadelphia Flyers and Washington Capitals, respectively. "These skills lead to success in life and help clear a pathway to academic achievement and in most cases, higher education."

Henri Richard, Maurice Richard 's brother, celebrated his 19th birthday yesterday, well... sorta.

Of course, Richard is actually 76, but has only celebrated 19 official birthdays. That’s only eight more than the record 11 Stanley Cups he won as a player.

When The Gazette’s Red Fisher rated the Top 10 Canadiens players he has watched play in a 2005 feature series, Richard came in at No. 5 behind Jean Beliveau, Maurice Richard, Guy Lafleur and Doug Harvey.

"I have been blessed with some of the greatest players in NHL history," Red recalled former Canadiens GM Frank Selke saying, "but game in, game out, Henri Richard may have been the most valuable player I’ve ever had."

"Think about it," Red wrote, "what he was saying was that Henri, a member of a record 11 Stanley Cup teams, ‘may have been’ more valuable than Beliveau and more valuable than his older brother, Maurice, and meant more to the team than Bernie Geoffrion, Jacques Plante and even Doug Harvey."

One more thing, CBC released their Power Rankings, and the Avalanche jumped 9 spots, to get into 16th place!

16.COLORADO AVALANCHE (33-27-4) Avalanche goalie Semyon Varlamov has played better and as a result his club has reeled off four victories in a row.(Last Week: 25)

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