Boys, I'm afraid, will be boys

By now, I'm sure you've heard that a couple of the Staal brothers got themselves into a little trouble during Eric's bachelor party. Now, I don't know about you, but any bachelor party worth its salt ought to involve the authorities. As long as no one was hurt, the disorderly conduct charges are society's equivalent of a roughing minor.

What bothers me, though, is that Jordan was charged with underage drinking. Sure, he's making an adult wage by playing in the NHL, but, at 18, he's still just a kid. All it takes is a mistake like this to ruin a career.

As role models to younger hockey players and fans, Eric and Jordan Staal have a responsibility to provide examples of positive behavior. Here's hoping that the boys learn from their mistakes.

Addicted to Hockey? Round V

Now that the sound of baseballs hitting leather and wood have begun echoing through Florida's increasingly humid air, competing for the attention of sports fans across North America, it's time again to determine whether you're truly a hockey fan.

If you're not sure, just ask yourself these questions:

~ Did you call in sick from work to follow every transaction made on the NHL's trade deadline day? If so, what was your excuse?

~ Have you ordered your Detroit Red Wings' Todd Bertuzzi jersey? How about an Islanders' Ryan Smyth jersey?

~ Has the word "playoffs" popped up in your everyday vocabulary?

~ Do you believe Peter Forsberg really will make a difference in Nashville?

~ Are your hockey jerseys at the dry cleaners? Or do you use Woolite?

~ Were you saddened by Martin Biron's departure from Buffalo?

~ You wonder whether Eric and Jordan Staal really enjoyed that pillow fight in the NHL "Road Trip" commercial? To me, that was not acting.

~ Have an inkling that Konstantin Pushkaryov just might be the steal of the deadline-day deal between Dallas and Los Angeles?

~ Do you think of cartoon character Popeye whenever watching Tampa Bay's Shane O'Brien skate? If you haven't, watch him some time. I promise you'll notice a resemblance.

~ Are you passing up on Upper Deck's "Be A Player Portraits" and "Game Used" offerings simply because you already have enough Sergei Federov cards in your collection?

Addicted to Hockey? All Star Game edition

In honor of tonight's All Star Game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, this round of questioning, to determine whether you're addicted to hockey, will take, maybe even predictably, an All Star Game slant and could even have a few rants.

Let's see, shall we?

Are you addicted to hockey? Should you answer "yes" to a majority of the following questions, I suggest you book a flight to Atlanta, Ga., on Jan. 14, 2008, book a room at a nice hotel near the Philips Arena through Jan. 17, 2008, and get yourself some tickets to the 2008 NHL All Star Game.

Make sure you buy one for me, too, because, after all, it was my idea.

Getting back on point, so to speak, here are some ways to tell whether you're addicted to hockey:

~ You'd gladly trade places with Martin Brodeur, Cristobaul Huet, Miikka Kiprusoff, Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller and Marty Turco, even if it meant being the biggest duck in the shooting gallery. Granted, the players would be trying to shoot past you, but you could actually get hit by one of their shots. Trust me, if hockey balls at 20 mph hurt, just imagine frozen pucks in excess of 85 mph.

~ You're wondering why in God's name did the NHL hold the game on a Wednesday night. For poor saps like me, who had to work, I missed out on the game. Why not have it on the weekend before the NFL's Super Bowl? I'm certain, too, that with the 2008 event set for Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2008, I'll raise this question again.

~ A smile broke across your face when the Eastern Conference line of Philadelphia's Simon Gagne and Tampa Bay's Marty St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier formed an updated version of the famed Buffalo Sabres' French Connection. The coach that put tonight's line together? None other than Buffalo's Lindy Ruff. I'm sure Richard Martin, Gilbert Perreault and Rene Robert wouldn't mind.

~ Speaking of Buffalo, you knew that MVP honors would go to a Sabres player. Daniel Briere, shown above, may be small, but he is the heart and soul of the Sabres, far more than Chris Drury. Also, Danny, if you're not sure what to do with that 2007 Dodge Nitro, feel free to call. I've got a spare spot in the driveway.

~ Believed Boston's Phil Kessel, considering what he's dealt with this year, was far more worthy of the YoungStars Game MVP award than New Jersey's Zach Parise.

~ Wondered why Toronto's Chad Kilger, who nailed a 106.6-mph slap shot during the Maple Leafs' team competition, wasn't involved in the hardest shot contest in the SuperSkills competition. For the record, Boston's Zdeno "The Prudential" Chara won individual honors with his 100.4 mph-laser.

~ Asked the American Airlines Center crew for the targets broken by Atlanta's Marian Hossa or Carolina's Eric Staal during the Shooting Accuracy contest. I also wonder how long it'll be before all four Staal brothers (Eric, Jordan, Marc and Jared) will play in an All Star game.

~ You spent $350 on one of those authentic RBK Edge jerseys so you would feel lighter and not worry about perspiration while standing in the beer line at your home rink. And then you plopped down another $75 to have your own name and "07" put on it.

~ Spent the past three days living out of your car because you couldn't find a hotel room with 100 miles of Dallas charging less than $300 a night, not including armadillos and cockroaches, and you bought one of those RBK Edge jerseys.

~ You considered this week, even if the All Star Game was the highlight, the longest of the year because you haven't seen a real game since this past Saturday.

Where's Eric?

As much as I'll champion In The Game's efforts to remain a viable entity within the hockey card industry, it's my belief that the company missed an opportunity with its 2006-07 Heroes and Prospects offering.

While much has been said and written about the Staal brothers becoming, with no intended disrespect to the Sutter brothers, the next First Family of Hockey. And, yet, when I review the product's checklist, the set features only three (shown above, in alphabetical order) of the brothers -- Jared, Jordan and Marc Staal.

Adding a card of big brother Eric would have created a set within the set. Even better, I believe, would have been a card showing all four together. Surely, that photo must exist, even if it's within a family scrapbook.

I'm left to wonder whether contractual obligations may have led to this omission, though the set does feature a number of current NHL players, such as Jason Spezza, Sidney Crosby and Cam Ward, from their AHL, junior or international playing days.

Going forward, perhaps ITG will heed this suggestion and make the effort to somehow honor the family. If it does, I hope ITG sends along its work.

An addendum: Here's ITG's response to my question: At the time that Heroes and Prospect was printed, we did not have Eric Staal under contract for autographs.

Two more Staals to go

When Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal signed this program earlier today, it marked the second of the four Staal brothers that have made our collection.

Though he's signed for us most every time we've seen the Carolina Hurricanes, we also loaded up on Eric when he played for the AHL's Lowell (Mass.) Lock Monsters during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. The program, which I bought from the team's Web site, was our first from Jordan.

Though it may take a few more years, with Marc and Jared waiting in the wings, the Staals are poised to become this generations's Sutter brothers.

In time, I'll work on a Staal brothers stick. And with any luck, I'll have their parents sign it as well.

Yes, indeed, we’ll wait for Malkin

A few weeks ago, when I came across the 2006-07 Young Guns checklist, I said we’d have to wait until the release of the Series II Young Guns for this season’s Holy Grail of hockey hardboard, a Young Guns card of Pittsburgh's uber-rookie Evgeni Malkin.

A glance at the back of the Phil Kessel Young Guns Checklist (#250), above right, proves the point. Malkin, I’m afraid, isn’t listed.

After reviewing the checklist, though, I feel the need to add to the must-haves of the Series I Young Guns, namely Pittsburgh’s Jordan Staal (#239). As you can see, above left, I pulled the Young Guns card for San Jose’s Matt Carle (#241). The Stastny brothers, Paul and Yan, are worth the chase, too.