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Did someone want bonus hockey?

The Rangers won the Winter Classic after Henrik Lundqvist stopped a late Flyers penalty shot. John Tortorella, Rangers coach, called the officiating "disgusting," but did you see a conspiracy?

SportsNation

What did you think of the call awarding the Flyers a penalty shot with 19 seconds remaining in Monday's Winter Classic?

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    35%
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    44%

Discuss (Total votes: 10,157)


Winter Classic losing any luster?

This was the NHL's fifth Winter Classic, not counting two Heritage Classic games in Canada over the years. Do you crave more outdoor hockey, or is the novelty fading?

SportsNation

What's your take on outdoor NHL games?

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Discuss (Total votes: 97,715)


Where should it go next?

Sorry, Toronto, Montreal and every other place north of the border, we're following the NHL's lead and limiting the options to places like Michigan Stadium in the United States.

SportsNation

Which city would be the best bet to host the Winter Classic?

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    28%
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Discuss (Total votes: 47,049)


Were these the best in the East?

You can chime in with your complete NHL Power Rankings for this week here, but will the Eastern Conference title go through one of these teams?

SportsNation

Which team will win the Eastern Conference?

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    32%
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Discuss (Total votes: 10,503)

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Hockey has had two unfortunate incidents recently involving racist and homophobic behavior. The Flyers' Wayne Simmonds had a banana thrown at him during a game on Sunday, and now, he's being accused of calling Sean Avery a homophobic slur. Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke thinks the league should take action against Simmonds if he said what he's accused of saying, but what's your take?

Vote: Can sports be an instrument for social change?


A fine or suspension?

Wayne Simmonds said he was provoked by Sean Avery earlier in the game. He wouldn't be the first one to be riled by Avery's actions, but does that mean he should be free from punishment for his alleged slur?

SportsNation

How should Wayne Simmonds be punished for his alleged homophobic slur against Sean Avery?

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    27%
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    36%

Discuss (Total votes: 4,169)

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We can understand if you don't want to take the time to grade your tech-support help on the other end of the telephone, but when we're talking about the dollars and emotion you've invested in sports, we think it's worth the effort. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2011 MLB survey
2010 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 3)
2. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 6)
3. Colorado Rockies (Overall: No. 13)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 14)
5. Atlanta Braves (Overall: No. 15)

Take part in the 2011 NFL survey
2010 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. New Orleans Saints (Overall: No. 1)
2. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 4)
3. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 9)
4. Arizona Cardinals (Overall: No. 19)
5. Baltimore Ravens (Overall: No. 20)

Take part in the 2011 NBA survey
2010 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 2)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 7)
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 10)
4. Dallas Mavericks (Overall: No. 24)
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (Overall: No. 25)

Take part in the 2011 NHL survey
2010 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 5)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 8)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 11)
4. San Jose Sharks (Overall: No. 12)
5. Chicago Blackhawks (Overall: No. 16)

Comment »

1. Which Philadelphia team is most likely to win a title?

These are good days in Philadelphia. You might even be to walk around in a Santa suit without taking snowball fire. And why not? The Phillies added Cliff Lee. The Eagles are flying high with Michael Vick. And the Flyers ended the Penguins' winning streak and claimed the NHL's best record in doing so. Best title bet? NHL Power Rankings

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Anyone who resides in Chicago knows not to mess with goats. Or curses. And especially goats that might carry curses. Jonathan Toews may be only 22 years old, and he may be a Winnipeg native, but he clearly knows there is way too much negative sports history in the Windy City to start spitting (teeth) in karma's face.

After beating the Sharks in the Western Conference finals, Toews, who doubles as captain of the Blackhawks, wouldn't touch the Clarence Campbell Bowl, honoring a hockey superstition that players shouldn't touch any trophy that doesn't carry Lord Stanley's name. But after polishing off the Canadiens in the Eastern Conference finals, Flyers captain Mike Richards showed no such caution in snatching the Prince of Wales Trophy (which, by the way, the Duchess of York can get you a really good deal on).

The experts can talk about which team's defense is best or whether or not Michael Leighton can keep standing on his head in goal for the Flyers. We say go ahead and give Toews the Conn Smythe Trophy already. Just don't expect him to hold it.

bobby (miss)

who will have a better career towes or kane

Scott Burnside
Scott Burnside

bobby; That's sort of like the Betty and Veronica question (not that I'm comparing Patrick Kane to Betty. Or Veronica.) I think of Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg in their prime in terms of two dynamic players who had distinct personalities and skill sets. Sakic and Toews are similar in terms of their leadership and all-around games while Kane may be the more dynamic and produce more points. If they can keep them both it's a pretty good debate for a team to have. Full transcript

TK (Chicago)

Is Toews the best player in the NHL right now? I get Crosby and Ovi are great offensive threats, but Toews can play 5on5, PP, PK, assist, score goals, block shots. There isn't anything he can't do where you can't say the same for Crosby and Ovi.

ESPN Chicago's Jesse Rogers
Jesse Rogers

Tough one to answer. Sid can do all those things too. He and Ovi have more natural talent. If you lined them up, most GM's would take Sid, I believe, but Toews is rite there. What a stud to have as your captain and he's only 22. Full transcript

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The Montreal Canadiens just did something unprecedented in the history of the modern NHL playoffs (all right, so that only goes back to when the current format was adopted in 1994). The last team to make the playoffs this season, Les Habitants made an amazing run through the defending Stanley Cup champions and the current holders of the Presidents Trophy, not to mention perhaps the three best players in the sport in Alex Ovechkin, Sideny Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, en route to the Eastern Conference finals. Even Penguins fans could offer only praise.

It's a feat to last a lifetime. ... Or 48 hours, depending on what the Philadelphia Flyers do in Boston when the pucks drops Friday in Game 7 against the Bruins. As stunning as the Canadiens run is, would it be more surprising than the Flyers completing a comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the Bruins?

Gerry (San Francisco, CA)

Pierre, how great will it be for the NHL to have a Boston vs Montreal Eastern Conference Final, considering the rivalry they have?

Pierre LeBrun
Pierre LeBrun

That would be terrific given all the history.... An Original Six clash for the Eastern title? Beauty. Full transcript | LeBrun's blog

Comment »

It's just like the census, only this one is fun and doesn't come in the mail. And nobody from FOX News or MSNBC will yell at you about it. It's time for ESPN The Magazine's Ultimate Standings, in which SportsNation grades organizations on everything from ticket prices and stadium experience to the talent on the field, court or rink. Which team will end up on top this year? It depends on what you say.

Take part in the 2010 MLB survey
2009 MLB Ultimate Standings
1. Los Angeles Angels (Overall: No. 1)
2. Milwaukee Brewers (Overall: No. 7)
3. Tampa Bay Rays (Overall: No. 16)
4. Minnesota Twins (Overall: No. 23)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (Overall: No. 24)

Take part in the 2010 NFL survey
2009 NFL Ultimate Standings
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (Overall: No. 3)
2. Green Bay Packers (Overall: No. 13)
3. Indianapolis Colts (Overall: No. 14)
4. Tennessee Titans (Overall: No. 15)
5. New England Patriots (Overall: No. 19)

Take part in the 2010 NBA survey
2009 NBA Ultimate Standings
1. Cleveland Cavaliers (Overall: No. 5)
2. San Antonio Spurs (Overall: No. 9)
3. New Orleans Hornets (Overall: No. 12)
4. Houston Rockets (Overall: No. 17)
5. Orlando Magic (Overall: No. 18)

Take part in the 2010 NHL survey
2009 NHL Ultimate Standings
1. Carolina Hurricanes (Overall: No. 2)
2. Detroit Red Wings (Overall: No. 4)
3. Washington Capitals (Overall: No. 6)
4. Pittsburgh Penguins (Overall: No. 8)
5. St. Louis Blues (Overall: No. 10)

Comment »

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Believe it or not, the start of the NHL regular season is just about a week away. No, seriously, we're not kidding. We know the leaves haven't turned and summer doesn't actually end until today, but what the heck, it's been, what, at least three or four weeks since the Penguins won the Stanley Cup, right?

Then again, maybe that short offseason helps keep the NHL fresh in SportsNation's mind. A year ago, voters correctly predicted the Red Wings to win the Western Conference and made the Penguins their second choice, behind the Red Wings, to win it all.

Blackhawks star Patrick Kane and ESPN.com writer Scott Burnside stopped by chat Monday to help SportsNation get its ice legs before jetting off to Europe (Burnside to Stockholm for the Red Wings and Blues and Kane to Helsinki for the Blackhawks and Panthers).

Jason (Ellicott City, MD)

You are only rated an 86 in NHL. What is up with that?

Patrick Kane
c

I think an 86 is pretty good to be honest with you. I think the highest are Crosby and 94 and Ovechkin at 92. I thought I'd be better than Teows, but I am still on the cover. I got him by that. Full transcript

AJ (Champaign, Ill.)

How do the Blackhawks avoid a lull in their performance after they return from Finland?

Scott Burnside
c

AJ; Good question. The European experiment has been decidedly mixed in terms of how it affects teams. All four coaches who went last year got fired although the Pens did end up winning a Cup. I think the 'Hawks' youth and the nice steady hand of head coach Joel Quenneville will keep them from going off the rails when they get back from Finland. Full transcript

Comment »

The NHL offseason lasts about as long as it takes the teams that played for the Stanley Cup to get home and do their laundry for training camp (although after eight months of hockey, it takes a few rinses), so we've got to move quickly. Free agency, Hall of Fame, NHL draft; let's show some hustle here, people.

The new Hockey Hall of Fame class includes Steve Yzerman, Luc Robitaille, Brian Leetch and Brett Hull. It doesn't include Alexander Mogilny or Dave Andreychuk.

Early results suggest SportsNation thinks Andreychuk will eventually find his way to Toronto, as will Mogilny, the high-scoring Russian who rocked on the NHL '94 on Sega.

Meanwhile, teams will soon be able to lure future Hall of Famers -- or Scott Gomez and Chris Drury, if you're the Rangers -- when free agency gets underway July 1.

jbwhite99

If you induct Hull, you have to bring in his partner, Oates. Only appropriate that Hull and Oates get pulled into the HOF at the same time. Oates has just been caught by numbers the last couple of years. The only better passer in the NHL in the 90's was Gretzky.

-- jbwhite99
pqshindelus

Leetch needs to be inducted in this class over Robataille or Andreychuk, if it comes to that. Leetch is truly one of the great defensemen of the past 30 years and should be an absolute lock as a first-ballot HOF'er.

-- pqshindelus

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