No fiddle faddle today, folks. I present, for your consideration, the latest best video ever:
Some initial takeaways:
Seguin is so East Coast. A Lacrosse dilettante? An affinity for stallions? You’re getting your class all over the table, man.
Benn clearly either likes or dislikes Barack Obama (remember, no political discussion in the comments), is probably about to buy a Rolls Royce, and would enjoy eating dinner with Derek Jeter. Even though that does seem like a lot of information, you may need to narrow your Eharmony search criteria a bit further before you’re able to find his profile, ladies.
That video is from this article by Scott Burnside, which you should read. It’s really long, in-depth, and gives a very complete picture of Benn and Seguin’s place on the team and in each other’s lives. And in Lindy Ruff’s life, too:
“They actually caught me in some type of moment here during camp, and they had the biggest laugh,” Ruff told ESPN.com. “The look on their face. Only those two guys could pull it off.”
During training camp, a massage school had its students working on the players. At one point Ruff, who suffers from back issues, found he had the masseurs to himself.
“So I thought I’d let them work on my back,” Ruff said. “And I said, ‘Nobody’s working on me if the players are around.’ Well, so all of a sudden there’s like five masseuses working on me. I’m going, man, this is incredible.
“Then there’s this picture being taken and it goes around to management. ‘Oh, we found the coach. We know where he’s at.'”
How did he know that it was Benn and Seguin?
“They were in the picture like this,” he said, miming the well-known selfie pose. “And in the background you could see me on the table and they had the two goofiest looks on their face.”
As one might imagine, it was a collaborative effort as Seguin spotted the opportunity and then enlisted Benn, who did the actual photography before sending it around. [ESPN]
If you didn’t smile while picturing this, I cannot help you.
* * * * *
Friday, Friday, Friday. I’m going to eat a hamburger tonight, because it is Friday. What are your plans? That’s cool.
Yesterday happened. Sure would be nice if Hemsky could get rewarded for creating so many chances. Hey, here’s a recap you’re dying to read. [Stars]
Sean McIndoe thinks the Stars will be okay if Lehtonen gets better and Hemsky “wakes up.” [Grantland]
Thanks to commenter jnlocke for pointing out that USA Hockey Magazine called the Stars to win the cup on page 24 of this magazine, for what it’s worth. Also check out page 46 for a fantastic illustration of Steve Ott. [USA Hockey]
Jim Nill confirmed that no, the Stars are not going to sign Martin Brodeur. Thanks to Elliotte Friedman for ending all speculation for good, I’m sure. [SportsNet]
Zach Parise’s upper-body injury turns out to be a concussion. He is out indefinitely. [Star-Tribune]
Remember that high stick on Justin Williams by Dillon at the end of the LA game? Turns out Williams escaped any actual eye damage, but just barely. Williams will miss one game, but hopefully no more. [OC Register]
Corey ____ Perry and Ryan Getzlaf both came down with the flu right before their game against the Islanders, but Jason LaBarbera and the Ducks still got a point in an overtime loss. Best wishes for a slow and steady recovery for the Ducks two good players. Take all the time you need, guys. [LA Times]
Toronto’s Carter Ashton has been suspended 20 games for violating the NHL’s ban on performance-enhancing substances. Ashton will not appeal it, saying the incident was a result of an inhaler mix-up. [SB Nation]
Remember David Leggio, the AHL goalie who knocked off the net intentionally to avoid a 2-on-0 rush? Well, the AHL is reportedly making that act a game misconduct from here on out. That’s like Turco-level league trolling, so congrats, David. [Puck Daddy]
Are you ready for ads on hockey jerseys? They are coming sooner than you think. [Sports Business Daily]
Finally, Brendan Shanahan wrote a letter to his younger self, and it is a charming bit of literature. It starts with the salutation, “Hey Dumb Dumb,” so you know it’s going to be good. [The Players Tribune]