Oklahoma City Thunder star player Kevin Durant has helped his team make a strong championship run. The Thunder are up 3-2 to the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the NBA playoffs… and Durant’s secret weapon may just be his backpack. TNT got to the bottom of what is exactly inside Durant’s backpack that he brings to every post game press conference. In unreleated news, Go Wings!

The Red Wings released the following statement: It’s not a new law — city ordinance 38-5-4, which prohibits throwing objects on the playing area during sporting events — but the directive to enforce it came down Wednesday from the league. Wings blog On The Wings spoke to Detroit police, who say that while they have no problems with the tradition,
Police supervisors were informed Wednesday night, either before or during the game, by League representatives that they don’t want anything thrown on the ice. An officer has to witness the throw and nab the thrower on the spot, but it’s something they can and will enforce. Apparently, distance from players is not an issue: any octopus on the ice is grounds for ejection and a fine.

The throwing of objects onto the ice surface is prohibited by the National Hockey League and persons caught doing so may be subject to prosecution for violating local and state laws.”

The tradition of throwing an octopus on the ice started almost 60 years ago. In 1952, the Red Wings swept all eight games need to win the Stanley Cup against the Montreal Canadians and Toronto Maple Leafs. Long time Red Wings, Chris Osgood was infuriated with the new rules and spoke candidly.

Interestingly enough, the Red Wings will kick fans out of games but sell merchandise with the teams’s unoffical mascot Al the Octopus?

Lidstrom is the Detroit Red Wings captain and oldest player named to the All-Star roster, while Staal is only 26 he is captain of the Carolina Hurricanes who will host the All-Star game on Sunday January 30.

The All-Star teams will be named Team Staal and Team Lidstrom. The captains will select their players in a fantasy-like draft the Friday before the game.

Interestingly, neither Lidstrom or Staal were voted as starters for the game.

The Blue Jackets got in on Schweinfurth tweet and so did 150 other fans (including Red Wings fans). It’s a good thing Columbus won because $10,000 was donated to charities including the Red Cross and the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation. RJ Umberger scored in a shootout to make it 3-2.

In the commercial, Paul McCartney can be seen in the first and ending shot with his Red Wings guitar, but the sticker is missing in the commercial’s middle shot.

McCartney’s Red Wings guitar has become famous among hockey and Beatles enthusiasts. The sticker was added to the guitar back in 1976, when McCartney played a concert at Olympia Stadium, home to the Detroit Red Wings.

It has been widely disputed that McCartney has the sticker because either a fan gave the singer the sticker or he used the Red Wings locker room as his dressing room, both could be true. But what is known, is McCartney has had the sticker on the guitar ever since and uses the guitar to play the song Yesterday. It is also the same guitar he used on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Another possible reason McCartney could have an attachment to the sticker (besides the obvious that the Red Wings are the greatest team ever) is that the guitar was made in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

In 2006, the guitar manufacture, Epiphone re-issued 2,000 models of the FT-79N and even sold it with the Red Wings sticker. Over the summer, McCartney played at the first ever concert at the Consol Energy Center, home to the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Penguins organization gave McCartney a Penguins sticker to add to the guitar… temporarily of course.

The time line of the projected sale means that Detroit Red Wings and Tigers owner, Mike Ilitch will not become a triple threat. Ilitch scored an exclusive agreement to negotiate the sale of the team, but the deal expired after one month without a deal reached.

Davidson and Citibank said if they could not find a buyer willing to pay an excess of $400 million for the Pistons, they may have to wait until the economy rebounds or sell the team to a foreign investor. The Pistons have already sparked the interests of Middle East investors, making many fans worry that the Pistons will have to relocate.

Red Wings blog, the Production Line, even posted this rant in support of Operation Curly Fries:

I’m sure Arby’s has a good reason to have changed their Hat Trick giveaway. And I’m sure it has something to do with money. Perhaps it’s cheaper to give away a Small Roast Beef Sandwich than it is to give away Curly Fries. Perhaps they’re hoping people will try a Sandwich and make Arby’s their meal of choice when they’ve only got a few minutes. My question to them is this: is it worth the extra few cents when it’s only been utilized three times — and your target audience is a little bit annoyed that they can’t get curly fries? I’m willing to bet a Curly Fries shirt that they simply don’t know people have noticed things have changed…

Exhibit C is courtesy of my wife, a noted vegetarian and the designer of more than one of the TPL Store’s trademark shirts — including Curly Fries. She caught wind of the changing Arby’s landscape during the last telecast and offered this: “I’m pissed. As a vegetarian, I’d much rather get my hands on some curly fries than dead animal flesh.”

Fans are so enamored with the giveaway they have created T-shirts that say, “I love Curly Fries,” so many fans are surprised Arbys would change the giveaway due to its popularity. Sounds like this is some curly fry chasing if you ask me. To join the movement on Facebook go here, or to follow thejerseychaser.com on Twitter click here!

As owner of both the Red Wings, Detroit Tigers and possibly the Detroit Pistons, Ilitch has done a lot for the city. In 2009, after both GM and Chrsyler were bailed out by Congress, Ilitch did not charge a bankrupt GM for the Comerica Park Fountain sponsorship. Instead, Ilitch put up a sign saying, “The Detroit Tigers Support our Automakers.”

When asked about the fountain, Ilitch said, ” I wanted to help. I kept asking myself, ‘What can I do to help?’ I’ve always viewed GM, Ford and Chrysler as pillars of strength in our community, and I understand the ups and downs that a business must endure. To me, it’s a small way of showing our support and saying thank you for all the times they’ve been there for this community.”

Ilitch’s past support of the US auto industry is why many fans are angry and upset he would choose to give away a Honda instead of one of an American car. The Red Wings released an official statement saying:

“The Detroit Red Wings and National Hockey League both have a long history of working with a wide variety of corporate sponsors, including all of the local automakers. Corporate sponsors add tremendous value to the fan experience and the overall success of the franchise. We have strongly supported the Detroit three automakers over many years and look forward to continuing those relationships.”

I think the best way to sum up my feelings on this is in the words of blogger Itsalwayssunnyindetroit.com, “How much will Honda be kicking in for this new Wings/Pistons super combo arena? I’ll chime in with a guess of zero dollars and zeroty-five cents. This is a farce and a half. But ya know what, this promotion may make me decide to buy a ticket to this game. I hope I do win the car. I’ll gladly accept the keys and then chuck them in the Detroit River. You’ve made a lot of decent decisions, Mr. Ilitch. But this one, this one shouldn’t fly.”

Image via DetroitTigers.com

I had a little trouble staying current with my probation requirements, so the Red Wings cut a deal with a judge that I would spend one night in jail. They didn’t tell me, because they were afraid I would disappear. Assistant coach Colin Campbell phoned me up and said, “I’ll pick you up at 8 a.m. Have a suit and tie on.
So the next morning, I got into his car and he said, “OK, look. We’re going to see a judge. We’ve cut a deal. You’re going to spend one night in jail.”
I said, “Oh, that’s just a bunch of bull!”

He said, “We’ve cut a quiet deal. The media doesn’t know. The judge is going to clear out the courtroom, and all you are going to do is spend one night in jail. I brought some stuff for you. Sweats and a toothbrush.”
So we appeared in front of the judge, and he says, “Mr. Probert, I don’t agree with this, I feel your punishment should be much harsher, but we’re going to have you spend one night in jail for breaching your probation. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Probert?”
And I said, “Well, I think it’s a joke, Your Honor!”
Soupy looked really choked and he whispered, “Probert … you idiot.”
The judge looked up from his binder and said, “You think it’s a joke, Mr. Probert?”
I was trying to step away from Soupy because he was kicking me, and I said, “Well, I don’t think it’s right. They didn’t tell me about this.”
The judge said something like, “Mr. Probert, I’m allowing this deal against my better wishes. But I know you will be back here. You’ll screw up again. So for now, you’ll spend one night in jail. Now get out of here.”

The new NHL season just started on Wednesday, but star players are coming out swinging (literally), with a don’t mess with me approach. It is NHL code not to mess with a team’s talented players, and if they do teams have designated enforcers to protect them. But so far this season, the stars have been the ones taking matters into their own hands. Detroit Red Wing Pavel Datsyuk challenged Anaheim Ducks Corey Perry. Datsyuk surprised many fans at his ability to hold his own because he is a former Lady Bing winner, for the league’s most sportsmanship like player… which usually translates into being a wimp. Even the Red Wings’ opponents were talking about Datsyuk’s technique.

“I guess he really can do it all,” said Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews. The Red Wings played the Blackhawks on Saturday. “He must be sick of all the trophies he’s collected at the end of every year, whether it’s the Lady Byng or the Selke awards. I’ll have to look out for him in the scrums, I guess.”

In Saturday night’s Devils Capitals game, there was a total of five fights, and Russian all-star Ilya Kovalchuk was at the helm. Devils Kovalchuk took on Capitals Mike Greene. In response, Devils coach John MacLean said, “Mike Green is one of those players trying to get something going, I guess. Ilya is a big guy. He can take care of himself.”

But Kovalchuk himself is not too worried, “Hockey is a contact sport. A fight is part of the contact. Sometimes it happens.”

Although the NHL season has just started, it is too early to tell if the league’s fighting culture is changing. In the past decade, fighting has been on the demise. With the institution of the salary cap, many teams do not have room for enforcers, but as Kovalchuk and Datsyuk have proven… they can take matters into their own hands just fine, and it makes for great TV!