Puck Podcast

The most popular hockey podcast on earth? The best? Probably.

If you have been elusively searching for that one definitive hockey podcast, as I have, that covers everything in the NHL...then look no further. Puck Podcast does it all, and is an absolute joy to listen to. News, transactions, injuries, trades, rumors, standings, stats, highlights...it's all here.

The show is recorded every Saturday and times come in at anywhere between an hour and 2 hours. Each podcast is divided up in to "three periods" which keeps things focused and on track. It's a concept that many could learn from. The hosts, Eddie Garcia and Doug Stolhand, have great insight into the game and stick to the topic with little diversion. It's obvious that a great deal of research goes into each "episode" and besides giving their opinions they are actually incredibly informative with facts and fan impressions.

For those that don't get to follow the NHL as closely as you'd like this is very much the source to turn to every weekend, or Monday morning, to fill you in on everything you may have missed from the past week's action around the league. The show also has a great website where you can listen to previous podcasts, as well as make comments and read Eddie and Doug's individual blogs. Located at PuckPodcast.com it's a nice accompaniment and place to offer your feedback.

I could probably go on a bit more about the show, since it really is exactly the thing I've been looking for, but you needn't just take my word for it. The show has a 4 1/2 star rating on iTunes out of 46 reviews.

You can subscribe to the feed and download episodes directly in iTunes here.

Joe Pelletier's Hockey Legends Blog

If you are unaware of this treasure trove of hockey history, trivia, facts, book reviews and more. I highly recommend a visit. In fact I'd recommend book marking it since it is a constant source of interesting information that is ever growing.

Joe Pelletier has profiled over 600 hockey legends and has them sorted into categories by years, teams, goalies, etc. There are a lot of well known names and quite a few players that have become lost in the annuls of time. The descriptions are concise and truly enjoyable to read since they aren't cluttered with numbers, but are instead biographies painted with quotes and information you won't find on stat sheets.

Besides the long list of former NHL stars to sort through there are also daily posts with tidbits of hockey's past (recently one on the Gordie Howe hat trick including leaders in the category). As mentioned, there are also a number of book reviews for hockey related books including Scott Morrison's upcoming By the Numbers. (Which I'll be buying whenever Amazon decides to start shipping it...)

Very cool stuff, and an easy way to spend a few hours when you should probably be working...

GreatestHockeyLegends.com

In addition Joe Pelletier also runs the site 1972SummitSeries.com which focuses on the history and players of Team Canada through the years.

How insane was the WHA?

This insane...

I don't think I've ever seen footage that more accurately portrays just how insane the WHA was. From blue pucks to all glass boards, to Bill Goldthorpe (aka Ogie Ogilthorpe...) and fights that make the current NHL look like the Olympics. The following comes from MyHockeyTV.com a site dedicated to WHA videos. It's actually focused on only one team - the aptly named Minnesota Fighting Saints - but it makes you realize just how untame the world of professional hockey was in the mid-seventies.

If you're looking for even more WHA game footage check out Mark Willand's WHA Blog. If you have an interest in the ludicrous uniforms then just as there is an NHL Uniforms website detailing every NHL jersey, there is one by the same creator called WHA Uniforms detailing all 7 years of the league's colorful existance.

And you thought Slapshot was far fetched and exagerated...

Japers' Rink Blogroll...1600 Hockey Links

Japers' Rink, a blog focusing on the Capitals and other hockey news, have managed to create some news themselves by publishing a comprehensive list of links covering nearly (soon to be more than) 1600 hockey related sites.

The list is sectioned off into different areas including specific team blogs, media and forums, as well as websites focusing on everything from uniforms, the draft, stats, fantasy, and yes even...widgets. If it exists you'll eventually find it here.

If you need guidance in the vast world of hockey related web information then there may be no better place to start (or seek refuge).

The direct link is here: Japers' Rink Blogroll

Get your blog on the IceTime widget

A couple of people have written to me wondering if I could add their blogs to the IceTime widget and I hope to be able to accomadate them and many more by including a dynamic list of blogs/RSS feeds in the next version. This will be it's own category with new blogs being added as they are submitted here.

The current feeds on the widget will remain as is, since they are intertwined with the contents of the widget. TheCommonFan.com will still be the main solitary feed, since it's well, every hockey fan's blog. If you have something to say, go say it there.

If you're interested in getting your RSS feed on the widget, and in return getting some exposure to hockey fans around the world just send me an e-mail at:
hockeywidgets_at_gmail.com

Include the following:

The name of your blog

A valid RSS feed link - more below

Who you are at said site/blog, I can only really allow people affiliated with sites to submit links, since there are people who would rather not see their material spread around without permission.

For your feed to work properly with the widget, and to avoid any issues, please make sure that the XML structure contains the following (exactly as is): -pubDate- -title- -link- (with carrots)
Variations upon these tags will cause issues with the current code and can result in the feeds not displaying. Most sites use this structure, all Blogger sites have this setup, and most dynamically generated feeds output like this, so for the most part you won't have to worry about anything.

I'm looking at about 3-4 weeks before the update, so send your sites in soon if you want to be among the first.

Thanks to the guys over at Japer's Rink for really spurring this idea. It should be a great way to get people to new sites, and get some exposure out for hockey blogs in general.