Tonight??? TONIGHT??? Was the awesomest hockey game ever in the history of hockey. Do you know why?

Marian Gaborik scored five goals. FIVE GOALS.  If you don't know hockey, just trust me.  In the average hockey game, an entire team working together may not get five goals.  So when one player scores that many?  You scream till you lose your voice.

There are few things in this world prettier than Sendhil Ramamurthy. That's one of them.

heroes_xmas

Well, after playing so well for two periods last night, the Wild gave up in the third and lost. (It felt like watching a Cincinnati Bengals game.) Despite today being Thanksgiving, the Wild management made this hilarious acquisition for their roster:

The Wild claimed 28-year-old tough-guy Todd Fedoruk off re-entry waivers from the Dallas Stars, the same Todd Fedoruk who unwittingly became a YouTube phenomenon last season. Fedoruk is the former Anaheim Ducks enforcer who had the right side of his face cave in courtesy of a thunderous Derek Boogaard punch in October 2006.

"I'm just glad I don't have to deal with Boogey anymore," Fedoruk said, laughing, by phone Thursday. "I'm pumped, but it'll be a little awkward, I won't lie to you, when we say hello [today]. I'm going to say, 'Hey buddy, remember me, the guy whose career you almost ended last year. See this dent in my face? Want to be roomies?'"

If you enjoy seeing idiots get what they deserve, the clip is here. Fedoruk actually chases Boogaard and starts the fight. The best moment is when one of the announcers asks wonderingly, "Why would Fedoruk want this?"

Holy crap, man. I knew tonight's Vancouver game was going to be something, because of that nasty slash that fractured Mikko Koivu's leg in their last outing. But before we even got to the first intermission, we had 4 goals and 2 fights. And I have lost track of how many penalties, but there's already been a 5-on-3 and a 3-on-3. And both sides are just charged up. I love fast hockey like this. I'm very disoriented though, because the Canucks' jerseys are really reminding me of the old Hartford Whalers jerseys.  Who thought that was a good idea?

At any rate, during the first intermission, I was inspired to do a picspam of our current captain, Brian Rolston, but I am shocked at how hard it is to find good pictures of him. Brian used to play for the New Jersey Devils, who I became a fan of during their Stanley Cup run in...1995? The year they swept the Red Wings in the finals. Ha! Ha! You have no idea how beautiful that was. (Full disclosure: I was originally a Leafs fan. I may have gotten teary when they traded Wendel Clark.) At any rate, I knew Brian from his early career with the Devils, but have only really started watching him closely now that he plays up here for the Wild. He played for Lake Superior State in the early 90s, which means he would've gone up against my alma mater of BGSU a number of times, but unfortunately that was just before I started watching hockey.

Oh, man. Gabby is ON tonight. I really hope that the replay they just showed gets onto the Internet somewhere. He just stick-handled the puck between the legs of one Canuck player and then behind a second one, before taking a slapshot at the net. Love love love. And I believe he's scored both of Minnesota's goals so far.

Also? Hee. One of the Canucks just tried to get smart with Derek Boogaard. This guy is apparently 6 feet and 210 pounds...but Boogie makes him look like a toddler.  Obviously not ALL hockey players are smart...