How does an overpaid goalie get fans back on his side? By praising a mass murderer, of course!

Did you know there was a day, not so long ago, where NHL players just didn’t wear helmets at all? Looking back on that now, it seems super dumb. One day when all NHLers are required to don face masks, we might be singing a similar song. Or at the very least, Marc Staal will.

For all the buzz about recent concussion issues in the NFL, you’d be hard pressed to find a more dangerous sport than professional hockey. The NHL presented its latest example of its brutality this afternoon after a vicious check on Ottawa defenseman Mike Lundin.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers aren’t normal hockey teams — they combined for 56 goals in their six-game playoff series last year. That held last night, when the Flyers eked out a 6-5 win. But one of the 11 goals was amongst the strangest we’ve ever seen, with virtually everyone on the ice scrambling during a looooooong goalmouth scrum, with no whistles blown, and netminder Tomas Vokoun being one of the few people not in the play, as he was left completely disillusioned. There clearly should have been a penalty on Kris Letang for trying to throw the puck out of the crease, but that would’ve negated this highlight. So we thank you, confused refs.

If you don’t like hockey, just watch a Flyers-Penguins game, and you will become a fan.

It looks like she’s pretty pissed about not being able to see the ice. But that’s what you get for sitting directly behind the bench, right? So maybe it’s the whole “losing the game and the series” thing that has her so revved up. Either way, watch a lady freak out, after the jump.

The Flyers/Penguins series has been brutal and one-sided, and tonight, Philly can close out the series with a 4-0 sweep. The Philadelphia Daily News is aware of this, and is doing its part by taunting Pittsburgh’s biggest star, Sidney Crosby, by running this photo of Crosby as the Cowardly Lion.

Or, “Has the fighting culture in hockey reached a breaking point when color commentators want to ‘drop a bomb’ on Sidney Crosby?” Some brutal audio, after the jump.

Civil War was breaking out in Pennsylvania today. With little love between Pittsburgh and Philly, today’s game three playoff matchup was always going to be testy. But the punches that were thrown — including a cheap shot by Arron Asham — bordered on the ridiculous. Video after the jump.

This is classified as a felony in some states. Kris Letang had half the net to shoot at but Ilya Bryzgalov’s glove was faster than Letang’s shot.

A big, but legal, hit shortly after an empty net goal by the Philadelphia Flyers sparked a brawl with the Pittsburgh Penguins on the ice, and nearly one between coaches.