It's January 7th, at noon, and according to my thermometer, it's 8 degrees on the deck. Honestly, if I knew about this global warming thing earlier, I never would have traded in my old '77 Buick. I shouldn't joke, because someday soon, we'll probably be seeing the remains of the polar ice caps floating down Barrington Street. I'd say Tuesday, it looks like.

Don Cherry's really starting to piss me off. Last night on Coach's Corner he shows a terrific play where Evgeni Malkin dances around most of the opposition, leaving two or three players in the dust, and the Staal kid for the Penguins (don't ask me which Staal kid, there are about twenty of 'em), tips in a rebound. Who does Cherry praise? Staal, of course.

It used to be kind of cute, his mispronunciations of the Europeans names, and how he sticks up for Canadians. But now he just sounds like your old drunk-ass uncle who hates foreigners. You're not going to find anybody more politically incorrect than me most days, but Cherry's schtick is getting old and predictable.

Don't even get me started on why he has such a bug up his ass about Sidney Crosby. Sid has shown nothing but class and maturity in the face of WAAAAAAAY too much pressure for an 18 (now 19) year-old. He has the weight of the entire sport on his shoulders, and he's handling it perfectly.

Cherry wasn't much of a hockey player, by his own admission, and he's always been more of a cheerleader for the lunchbucket types, but this is childish.

That being said...how about some fisticuffs! You have to watch the entire video, it's pretty cool.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5zNUTSTRnz8

Georges Laracque has the reputation for being not only the best fighter in the NHL, but also one of the nicest fellas. I've played hockey with his brother, former Moosehead Jules-Edy Laracque, and he's a stand-up guy as well.

Remember Pulp Fiction?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ryY3heZqrgM