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Dallas Stars Daily Links: USA Paralympic Sled Hockey Team Wins Gold

In which NBC calls it sledge hockey, the Huffington Post calls it sled hockey, and we call it USA hockey...

By David M Wilson
Hannah Peters

Sled hockey? Or sledge hockey? Are they interchangeable? This is the burning question that lingers following the USA's 1-0 victory over Russia in the gold-medal match yesterday.

But who really cares? The USA won! After the USA women fell agonizingly short against Canada in their final in the Olympics, and the men fell agonizingly shorter, failing to get even that far, the USA sled(ge) hockey team brings home the gold. And at the same time they got their revenge on Team Russia, who upset the USA in the group stages.

It's beautiful what the Olympics can do. Or the Paralympics in this case. Before these Games began, sled hockey held a place next to Underwater Hockey in my compendium of knowledge. A curiosity in a collection of niche games. Then I started watching some of the games, and watching some of the background to the games, and suddenly I became amazed and inspired.

So congratulations to the USA sled hockey team, and the USA sledge hockey team, on reaching the pinnacle of their sport.

And if you want to see what they went through to get there, and for these guys, they went through an awful lot, there's a PBS documentary that documents the journey.

* * *

As for hockey of the non sled/sledge variety, game previews for the Stars-Jets are here. [Stars Inside Edge] [NHL.com]

And an update from practice yesterday. Kari Lehtonen is getting closer, and Cody Eakin might return to the lineup tonight. [Stars Inside Edge]

Razor asks and answers his own questions. About the Stars, for the most part. [Razor with an Edge]

Mike Heika, on the physical and mental toughness the Stars are gonna need down the stretch. [Sports Day DFW]

Umm... did anybody else see the Montreal game last night? Or listen to it at least, like I did? Down 4-1, with 3 and a half minutes remaining and they scored. Then with 2 minutes remaining they scored again. And then, with .4 seconds remaining, they scored again. And then they scored in overtime to win it, because of course they did. Not winning after that comeback would have been like the US Miracle team not winning gold after defeating Russia. It was just the important footnote to the real story. [Puck Daddy]

In other NHL action, Minnesota lost, but in a shootout, while the poxing Coyotes won. Which means Phoenix and Dallas are now tied in points in the standings. But the Stars do have one and a half games in hand. So there's that.

And one more from the Paralympics, it's Sledge Hockey Hugs! Maybe 'sledge' is a Canadian thing... [Puck Daddy]

Better than Power Rankings, or the same thing really, but different. [NHL.com]

The Central Division unites! New from around the Heptarchy, done as only Conference III knows how. [III Communication]

Article here talking about Mike Ribeiro and his 'six shades of sexy.' I always love seeing that clip and hearing Razor calling it. [Voice of Russia]

And lost in all the disappointment of the defeat snatched from the jaws of victory on Friday night, was what I'm calling the prettiest goal this season. Tic-tac-toe, five in a row?