World Cup of Hockey

4 Nations Face-Off Delivered What it Promised

Does This Mean the End of the All-Star Game?

Like pretty much every other hockey fan, I was excited about the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament that the NHL held instead of its usual NHL All-Star Game Weekend.

I watched as many games live as I could, and even recorded games that conflicted with my night classes so I could watch them on “tape delay” when I got home that night. (I took extra care to NOT go on social media while on break from class, on my commute home, or while I was watching a game that was about over by the time I started watching it. No spoilers for this guy.) 

So exciting was the tournament that even non-hockey fans were talking about it. Continue reading “4 Nations Face-Off Delivered What it Promised”

Blake’s Takes: 4 Nations Face-Off Proves Hockey is Better than Hoops

NHL Goes Toe-to-Toe with NBA – and Wins!

After a three-year-plus hiatus, I’m back. After watching the entirety of the NHL’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, I had to share my thoughts on the tournament with the hockey community. 

First off, it’s great to be back. I’m always grateful for Sal and the opportunity to write for Puck Junk. 

Second, what a freaking tournament! Continue reading “Blake’s Takes: 4 Nations Face-Off Proves Hockey is Better than Hoops”

Career in Cards: Eric Lindros

lindros_header

Yesterday, Eric Lindros was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame — and deservedly so. If you look at Lindros’ entire body of work — from his days as a phenom in junior hockey, to competition on the international stage, to his eight years in Philadelphia — he belongs in the Hall. Sure, his productivity sharply declined at the end of his career, but the same could be said of many other Hall of Fame players. Lindros wasn’t just awesome in his prime; he was awesome from day one. Here we will take a look at the career, illustrated with some of his best hockey cards, of one of the Hockey Hall of Fame’s 2016 inductees.

Continue reading “Career in Cards: Eric Lindros”

Puck Junk Podcast #17 – Sept. 12, 2016

…with Sal Barry and Tim Parish.


Player not working? Listen to the podcast on SoundCloud.

In today’s podcast, Sal and Tim (@TheRealDFG) talk abut the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, including some of the preliminary matches, as well as the upcoming tournament games. They also discuss ESPN’s coverage — or lack thereof — in the United States, the uniforms and the World Cup Trophy that no one likes very much.

Speaking of unlikable trophies, here is the World Cup Trophy, which was designed by Frank Gehry and first awarded in 2004.

current_wch_trophy

And here’s the original World Cup of Hockey Trophy, that was only used in the 1996 tournament.

original_wch_trophy

Finally, here’s a picture of the O’Brien Trophy, which might make a more suitable award than the current World Cup Trophy.

O-Brien-Cup

(You can learn more about the O’Brien Trophy here.)

Total time of this podcast is 47 minutes 15 seconds.

Theme music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Are you excited about the 2016 World Cup of Hockey? Have you watched any of the preliminary games yet, or do you plan on watching the actual tournament? What do you think of the uniforms? The trophy? Leave a comment and let us know. ■