Watchdog

Thank you loyal reader Hockey Bob for catching my error in the Sunday newspaper column, in which I erroneously wrote NBC sent Game 5 of the 2007 Stanley Cup finals to Versus before it was over. I meant the Eastern Conference finals. Sigh.

Gary Bettman's Sirius XM Satellite Radio show returns for the new season at 4 p.m. Thursday, live from the NHL Store in midtown Manhattan.

His special guest will be . . . Whoopi Goldberg. No, really.

“I am looking forward to another season of talking to our fans and our guests on The NHL Hour," Bettman said in a news release. "Last year was a lot of fun. There was a lot of terrific conversation, and Whoopi Goldberg's appearance Thursday will add an interesting dimension to our first show of 2008-09."

On that note . . . gotta write a newspaper column now. Enjoy the Red Bull Air Race World Series from San Diego at 2 p.m. on MSG Plus. Then tell me what that is.

This video of the Bruins' Stanley Cup celebration in 1970 doesn't have anything to do with anything, but I'm posting it because famed WatchDog commenter John Philips sent the link, because it's hockey and because it's weird hearing the one and only Bill Mazer as a color commentator.

Near the end he declares that hockey fans are the most "unusual" of all sports fans. That's true.

Check out the fans all over the ice congratulating players. In one snippet it appears someone asks Bobby Orr for his stick and he hands it over!

By the way, I was a Blues fan in 1970, for reasons unknown to me. I guess I liked their logo. So I wasn't happy about this turn of events.

Gov. Sarah Palin is dropping the first puck Saturday night at the Rangers-Flyers game?!

Wow. Politics aside - since we no longer talk politics around here - I must admit I am enjoying the attention Gov. Palin has been bringing to both Alaska and to hockey in recent weeks.

She has done a service in reminding Lower 48 dwellers that the state and sport both are as American as Mike Richter.

Did I ever mention the only time I was invited to drop a first puck? It was at the men's hockey final of the 1984 Arctic Winter Games in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, which I was covering for The Anchorage Times.

Wearing work boots, I thought I would stylishly slide the last few yards into the faceoff circle. But it turns out that freshly Zambonied ice is slippery, and soon I was on my back (and tush), looking up at University of Alaska-Anchorage center (and later head coach) John Hill, who shook his head.

I assume they still talk about that night during the long, dark winters of Yellowknife and have a chuckle at my expense over a few rounds of Molson XXX.

I think I have mentioned this here before. But that was before Gov. Palin started reading the blog. So, here's a fair warning, ma'am: Either put on skates, or walk gingerly.

The Spectrum will be demolished sometime in 2009.

The Flyers played their final game there Wednesday.

Sigh.

Paul Newman died during my blogging bye weekend, but his passing should not go unacknowledged here.

In addition to being an actual auto racer and a generally cool dude, he also played a number of memorable sports-related roles, including ones involving car racing, football, baseball and poker.

But he will be most remembered by sports movie buffs for starring in two of the best sports flicks of all time - "The Hustler" and "Slap Shot."

My daughters only knew him as "the salsa guy." But that's not a bad way to be remembered, either, I suppose.

My father-in-law, Ed, died Monday. I'm happy my last words to him Sunday morning brought glad tidings: Phils win, Mets lose.

Yup, he was a Philadelphia guy, through and through.

Did someone say "gruff?"

Let's put it this way: The guy was an original Flyers season ticket holder in 1967-68 whose fandom peaked with a team perfectly matched to its time and place - the Broad Street Bullies of the mid-1970s.

Happily, he passed along an appreciation of sports to his middle child.

Even an old Rangers fan had to be impressed by a woman's knowledge of a classic, hated rival. Thanks to the lessons passed on from her father, Mrs. WatchDog had me at Kindrachuk.

I wrote a column a while back about 'Love Guru' star Mike Myers and his love of hockey, which in turn led to a poll on favorite hockey movies, which in turn led to a couple of readers encouraging me to check out "The Rocket," a film about Maurice Richard that came out in Canada in 2005 and had a limited theatrical run in Manhattan last year and now is on DVD at my local Blockbuster.

I checked it out Friday. It's admirably earnest, offers a primer on The Rocket for sports fans who don't know much about him and surely will cause French Canadians to swell with pride. Plus, the old-time hockey scenes are fascinating.

On the other hand, it's slow, it's overly worshipful, the English dubbing is a distraction and Mr. Richard turns out to be a man of painfully few words, in any language.

"The Rocket" is much better than "Love Guru," not nearly as good as "Slap Shot."

OK, one last sports event national anthem, this link courtesy of Charlie Chilkoot.

Until seeing this I had forgotten about it, but I did watch it live at the time. Thanks for the reminder, CC.

Go back to enjoying the lack of humidity in San Diego.

Here is my Sunday newspaper column, in which "Love Guru" star/writer/producer Mike Myers discusses his lifelong love of hockey.

Please read it and also vote for your favorite hockey movie.

Here is a list of nominees suggested last week when I sought the help of WatchDog Nation. Thanks as always for doing parts of my job for me.

I am not going to write anything about Tiger Woods today. It would end up coming out corny and hyperbolic.

Happy Father's Day.

Before we close the voting on the post below . . . Has anyone out there seen "The Rocket?"

I keep hearing it is a great movie, but apparently almost everyone who saw it lives in Canada.

Do they have the Internet and blogs and stuff in Canada? Do any Canadians read WatchDog? I mean, other than Mike Myers?