Tonight's Three Stars

There was some pretty good hockey stories that happened today, and I can't really stretch these stories into three days worth of content. I could do that, but it would seem odd talking about something that happened Saturday night on Monday. Instead, I'll throw these three smaller stories into one column so that we get the full glory of all the good stuff that happened on what appears to be a rather ordinary Saturday in February. I'll tell you this upfront: there will be no hockey players singled out in this article either. These are the best stories seen today.

Third Star

The Vancouver Canucks hosted the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight, and it felt like a game from the mid-1990s with the Canucks decked out in their retro uniforms! Yes, they would have worn white at home if this were the '90s, but these jerseys are absolutely gorgeous! When you think of these jerseys, names like Pavel Bure, Igor Larionov, Geoff Courtnall, Trevor Linden, and Kirk McLean come to mind as some of the greatest Canucks to have ever worn the red, yellow, and black of the Canucks. Ryan Miller did his part by wearing color-coordinated pads, blocker, and catcher, so Miller looks like he could have been pulled directly from the 1990s to play here in 2016.

I think the Canucks should use these as their alternate uniforms going forward, especially when you consider that Miller has all the gear to go along with these uniforms. Anytime you can bring back a uniform like these Canucks uniform, you're doing hockey right. And just like the 1990s, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Vancouver Canucks.

Second Star

I rarely talk about basketball on this blog, but Charles Barkley is a unique fellow. I like Charles as a player due to his ability to play bigger than he was and his toughness, but Barkley has become a bit of a legend in the analyst community due to some of the stuff he can't say and the moments where he makes a fool of himself. In saying this, I like Charles Barkley the analyst because he's so real and unscripted.

Case in point? He stopped by Sportsnet's studios on Hockey Night in Canada to chat about his friendship with Tampa Bay head coach Jon Cooper and to test his hand at Canada's winter sport. Here's the video. Enjoy!

First Star

Speaking of going back to the 1990s, the Chicago Wolves were visiting the Manitoba Moose on Saturday, and the Moose decided to break out their old IHL look for the game! Being that the Wolves haven't done a lot of updates to their look over the years, this game felt like it came directly from 1996!

I have a Mike Ridley green Moose jersey from the IHL days, and these jerseys worn by today's Moose look identical. Of course, they aren't made by Bauer and don't have the IHL logo on them, but everything else is accurate including the Boston Pizza logo on the right chest area and the old Moose "M" on the shoulders. And let's be honest: more green in hockey is a good thing.

As much as I like this cartoonish Moose jersey, I doubt management would even consider these uniforms as alternates. The Polar Bear jerseys worn a month-or-so ago would fit the Moose's color scheme much better, so these green uniforms might have to be mothballed for a while. But don't keep them in the closet too long, Manitoba, because they're still fantastic! And just like the 1990s, the Chicago Wolves downed the Moose in this contest.

There are my three stars for the day! A couple of retro jerseys by two teams and a former player-turned-analyst learning the game of hockey is pretty good day on the rinks! In other non-important news, we won our playoff game tonight, so I'll be back at the rink tomorrow for another battle as we prepare for the final. These one-and-done games have a very distinct international tournament feel, so we need to be ready to play tomorrow!

Until then, keep your sticks on the ice!