Pack Break x 6: Eraseez Collectible Hockey Eraser Game

packagePaper football is about to get a run for its money. Eraseez is a new line of collectible erasers by Bulls i Toy that double as a tabletop hockey game. Each pack retails for around $3 and contains two puck erasers, two sheets of stickers for the pucks and one hockey stick eraser.

pack_1The puck erasers are 1.5″ in diameter, and the stick eraser is about 2.5″ long. The logo sticker and NHL shield sticker are circular and meant to be affixed to the pucks to make them slippery.

sticksStick blade erasers come in at least three different colors: orange, red and blue.

face-offThe top of the stick blades have a hole in them so you can put in a pencil to make a hockey stick. All you need is a number two pencil (always bring a number two pencil!) and a smooth surface and you are ready to play.

puck_in_piecesThe puck erasers — referred to as puzzle erasers on the packaging — can be broken into three pieces. I was told that this was “just for fun,” but I would argue that this allows you to either make the puck lighter for a game play variation (if you pull off one or both surfaces before affixing the stickers) or to use the smaller surface “parts” as erasers. Speaking of which…

erased…Eraseez actually work as erasers. Usually, “fun” erasers look cool but don’t work all that well, but Eraseez can be used to eliminate your mistakes. Well, mistakes made in pencil, anyway.

Bulls i Toys generously provided six packs of Eraseez. Let’s see what we got: Continue reading “Pack Break x 6: Eraseez Collectible Hockey Eraser Game”

Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano played hockey in his youth

Joey_Logano_frontNASCAR driver Joey Logano won the Daytona 500 yesterday. At 24 years of age, he became the second-youngest driver to win that race. But half a lifetime ago, Logano was at a crossroads. He excelled at racing, but also played hockey. Just as Jeff Skinner selected hockey over figure skating and Tom Glavine opted for baseball instead of hockey, a young Joey Logano also had to make a choice.

Continue reading “Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano played hockey in his youth”

Review: 2014-15 Rockford IceHogs

darlingThe Rockford IceHogs issued a team set of trading cards during the 2014-15 season. It was sponsored by the Rockford Register Star newspaper and features many Chicago Blackhawks prospects, such as Teuvo Teravainen and Scott Darling. The cards also have a unique design and tons of information on the back — as any good trading card should. Continue reading “Review: 2014-15 Rockford IceHogs”

Top Ten Hockey Player Pick-Up Lines

Where were you today in 1998?

Me? I was parked in front of my television, excitedly anticipating the start of the hockey games in the 1998 Winter Olympics. This was the first time that the NHL would allow its best players to compete in the Olympic Games, which were held in Nagano, Japan that year. Many Americans, including myself, had high expectations for Team USA, especially considering that they won the World Cup of Hockey tournament in 1996.

But, the Men’s Ice Hockey Team performance — and off-ice conduct — was nothing short of a disaster in those games. (Fortunately, the Women’s Team redeemed the U.S. and won the Gold.) A few hours before their first game, against Sweden on February 13, 1998, David Letterman featured a hockey-themed Top-Ten List.  Below is the transcript, Continue reading “Top Ten Hockey Player Pick-Up Lines”

Ilya Bryzgalov “Mad” Music Video


This is currently my favorite video on YouTube. It combines Ilya Bryzgalov’s famous “Why you have to be mad?” quote with MAGIC!’s  hit singe “Rude.” The visuals are funny, in a bad Photoshop sort of way, and the lyrics make sense if you have followed Bryzgalov’s career the past decade. Continue reading “Ilya Bryzgalov “Mad” Music Video”

The Hextalls article on The Hockey News

Hextalls LogoIn case you missed it, I recently had an article published on The Hockey News website about a Canadian pop punk band named The Hextalls. They are releasing their newest album on February 14, and have been around since the late 1990s. If you like rock music, see my article at the THN website. Should you decide that you want to give these guys a listen, you can stream their last few albums over at Grooveshark. I recommend  “Pacman,” “I Don’t Wanna be a New York Ranger,” and “I Bred this Beard for Slaughter” to get a good idea of what their music is like.

Pack Break: 2014-15 Panini NHL Stickers

wrapper_frontEven though they lost their license to make NHL trading cards, Panini is soldiering on with their annual hockey sticker set for 2014-15. I probably won’t collect this year’s sticker set, but I’m still glad it came out. Panini has made NHL sticker sets since 1987-88, and it is nice to see that trend continue. Plus, this gives people a choice if they don’t want to collect any of Upper Deck’s offerings. A pack costs $1.00 and has seven stickers. There are 500 stickers in the set. I recently bought a pack to see what this year’s set was like. Continue reading “Pack Break: 2014-15 Panini NHL Stickers”