1) When Daniel Altshuller skated down the ice to fight Iowa goalie Steve Michalek, Daniel was kind enough to wait for Michalek to remove his mask and gloves before trying to punch him in the face. One former player told me later he wouldn't have been that nice and I know he wasn't kidding.
2) After getting injured very early in the season, former Charlotte and Carolina forward Zac Dalpe is close to coming back with Iowa. Dalpe is still missed here in Charlotte and was a huge part of the Checkers’ early success in the AHL. He has endured personal hardship this year and continues to overcome adversity. He is truly the happy warrior. Despite the obstacles in his path, he battles through everything and does it with a smile on his face. The good boy from Paris, Ontario, will always be one of my favorite players to wear a Checkers sweater. Don't be surprised if you see him in the NHL before the end of the year.
3) Chris Sutter, son of Darryl Sutter, was one of the stars of the NHL All-Star game last weekend. I was happy to sit with Chris, who was my coach this summer in Calgary, and catch up while he was watching our former captain and his brother, Brett, play last week. Chris' passion for the game, and for winning, is unparalleled.
4) The John Scott NHL All-Star game will go down as one of the best moments in the NHL in many years. Scott essentially took the place of the "every man" who dreams to play the game for even a brief moment with the best in the world. Fans saw themselves in Scott and his experience became theirs. It was poetic and perhaps, cinematic.
6) Connor McDavid returns tonight but just to be clear, your Calder Trophy winner will be Dylan Larkin. End of story.
7) The Checkers had a big showdown with Rockford this past week and fell flat. Had they won in Rockford, they would've led the Central Division. While it was clear Rockford brought their best, the Checkers spent almost the entire 60 minutes on their heels. If not for Altshuller, the game would've been out of reach in the first period. The one thing that will hurt Rockford come playoff time is that Chicago generally calls up several of the IceHogs, including their best goalie, to sit in the press box in case the Blackhawks need someone. Until then, Rockford is the team to beat in the Western Conference.
8) Rasmus Rissanen tries to convince me every year that the only way to get to Finland is to hitchhike onto a fishing boat and work your passage across the sea. I can't tell if he's kidding.
9) Brendan Woods has racked up six points (4g, 2a) in his previous seven games. I think this is the best stretch of hockey Woods has played thus far. After dealing with an injury early on, Woods is hitting his stride right now.
10) Back at Bojangles’ this weekend and then a day off to watch the Carolina Panthers in the Super Bowl. You'll need your live sports fix before the big game so we expect to see you at the arena. My predictions are always prefaced by my disclaimer that I don't know anything about football but here goes: Panthers 38, Broncos 14.
