Clearing Off The Desk

This is not my desk, but I pity whoever has that to deal with in the future. No, today I want to clean off my desktop that has been littered with images and emails and stories that I think need to be told. I collect these little snippets of information as I wander my way through the dark halls of the Interwebs, and they seemingly pile up until I can find a good day to end the insanity and clear off all the icons. There are a number of things to look at, read, and hear about, so let's get started on what should turn out to be a pretty good collection of hockey-centric information.

• CONTEST NOTICE: I received an email from Lynsey. Lynsey works for a company that has been hired by LG, the electronics company, to promote a contest in association with the Toronto Maple Leafs! Ten finalists have been selected to compete for the right to be the LG Leafs Ambassador, and you can vote on the finalists! There's even a pretty good prize for voting: one voter will win a 55" HDTV from LG! To register and get in on this chance to win a TV, click on the link above, choose your favorite video, and register your info for your chance to win. It's free, and who doesn't like free, especially when it's a free 55" HDTV? The videos - they're pretty good too! Get voting!
  
• I received an email from Arvay Adams who wants to bring to light something I have never heard of, so let's explore it now. Long ago before the heady days of the NHL and WHA, there existed a league that went by the letters "CHL". We've heard of the Canadian Hockey League, the Central Hockey League, and the Continental Hockey League, but this one was very different. Enter Mr. Adams with his proposal to shed some light on the "Colored Hockey League". This is the first I've heard of this league, but I am highly intrigued by the history, and I'm glad Mr. Adams contacted me with his idea for CHL apparel. I'll be buying in to some of his designs this week, and look for an upcoming article on this fascinating league on this site!
• I'm sitting at home right now in my Toronto St.Pats t-shirt, so I thought I should post this picture of the 1921-22 Toronto St.Pats. My shirt doesn't look like the sweaters worn by the team in the picture, but I love these old photos. If you look closely, the player standing third in from the left, the player directly to the left of the goaltender, and the goaltender himself have the "N" in Toronto reversed on their sweaters! Those players with the "N" problems are George Smith, Bill "Red" Stewart, and John Roach. A little sweater "oops" there for three of the St. Pats!
• When the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim were first being unveiled, there was a contest to pick a logo for the team. While Michael Eisner, then-CEO of Disney, may have wanted his team to wear the jerseys from the Mighty Ducks movies, there were some other images being floated about as potential logos for the expansion team. The logos on the bottom row and at the very right of the top row are very Disney-esque in their design, but that first logo on the left could have been a very interesting secondary logo. Of course, we all know what logo they chose and eventually what that logo spawned.
• Speaking what the Ducks' logo spawned, here's Jason York in all of that jersey's glory. Wow. York doesn't look happy about it at all.
• In other horrific jersey news, we have Wayne Gretzky appearing in Los Angeles' alternate jersey, also known as the "Burger King" jersey. Wayne's legacy in LA was great, but seeing him in this uniform makes him seem less great for some reason.
• Mike Modano always looked good in North Star green, so when the Dallas Stars put him in this tragic alternate jersey, it certainly didn't seem right. Ironically, I picked up one of these Stars alternate jerseys the other day for a mere $90. While some may question my sanity for this, I'm trying to decide whether Modano should appear on the back or go with Brendan Morrow. Thoughts on this one, readers? Maybe Lehtinen?
• Sports Illustrated posted a fabulous collection of photos today of all the current NHL goaltenders' masks. There are some absolutely fabulous designs on a few masks, and some really personal marks that make them entirely unique. Some of my favorites? Kari Lehtonen's Chuck Norris mask makes me laugh. I love the old masks displayed on Joey MacDonald's mask. The right side of Jonathan Bernier's mask brings back memories of Kelly Hrudey and Erik Ersberg. Pekka Rinne's predator-in-a-goalie-mask design is pretty neat. Jason LaBarbera shows off his love for pro wrestling. Ty Conklin brings back the Blues Brothers. James Reimer is all about Hockey Night In Canada.
• The one mask that SI forgot to include is the alternate mask worn by Marty Turco when the Blackhawks wear their alternate jerseys. Being that the jerseys resemble that of what the Hawks wore in the 1930s when gangsters played a large role in Chicago, Turco's "Gangsta Gargoyle" mask is highly appropriate in terms of it being paired with the alternate uniform.
  
• OPPORTUNITY: Since school is eating up a ton of my time that I normally spend blogging, if anyone is interested in submitting articles for HBIC like you did in September, please contact me via email. This is a blog "of the people, by the people, for the people", so if you have something hockey-related you want to get off your chest, send me an email today! Or in the near future! Or whenever you like!

That's a quick Thursday update as I clear a bunch of stuff off my desktop and email. I encourage anyone who wants to guest post to contact me. You'll get full credit as the writer of the article, and I definitely enjoy reading other people's ideas and opinions. The best part is that you contribute only as much as you like and only as often as you like. I'm still writing, but I occasionally need some time to deal with homework. That's where you come in.

Give it a thought, HBIC readers, and contact me if you're interested. I was very impressed with the last round of HBIC guest posts, and I think this feature will continue as we move forward with this blog.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!