Wednesday Links - Full On America

Get on up, it's America time.

HOCKEY NEWS:

• My podcasting partner in crime, CrossCheckRaise, appeared on the "Break The Ice" podcast with Demick last night to talk about T.J. Oshie, the Blues and hockey in general. You can listen here, and also on iTunes or any other podcast service. [Break the Ice]
• Harrison Mooney says adopt the "T.J. Oshie Rule" now. (My opinion on this issue? Fuck the shootout. Yes, even after what happened Saturday.) [Puck Daddy]
• Yesterday's scores. Slovenia shut out Austria, Russia defeated Norway, the Czechs beat the Slovaks and Latvia upset Switzerland. [NHL.com 02/18/14]
• Today's contests. Slovenia and Sweden will be over by the time you see this (also, look for the GDT over . . . here . . . somewhere), but stick around for Russia/Finland a half hour after this posts and Latvia/Canada and Czech Republic/USA at 11am CST. [NHL.com 02/19/14]
• Five reasons why the NHL will never leave the Olympics. All of them should be "BECAUSE IT'S A DUMB IDEA TO PISS OFF YOUR PLAYER'S UNION". [Puck Daddy]
• The Predators updated everyone on the status of their (and Team USA's) general manager, David Poile, after the eye injury that made him miss the trip to Sochi. [The Tennessean / Predators]
• The NHL in Seattle? PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN, NHL. I WANT TO GO TO BLUES GAMES NEAR MY HOOOOOOOOOOOOOME. [Puck Daddy]
• Red Wings GM Ken Holland says the NHL belongs in the Olympics. A pretty strong statement, considering he may be missing his Captain, Henrik Zetterberg, for a long while following an injury he aggravated in Sochi. [Detroit Free Press]
• Capitals prospect, Russian and forever-not-coming-over (it seems like) prospect Evgeny Kuznetsov gives a rather vague telling that he's coming to North America soon. He's done this before. [Russian Machine Never Breaks]
• Remember former Blues defenseman Christian Backman, the tall Swede we used to call "Sister Christian"? Well, he has a website, for some reason. But really, check out the opening splash on this one (if your computer/tablet/phone is capable). Yeesh. (S/T to CrossCheckRaise) [Christian Backman]
  

OTHER OLYMPIC NEWS:

• The women's curling semifinals (Great Britain vs. Canada, Switzerland vs. Sweden) should be done or close to it before this posts, while the men's curling semifinals (Sweden vs. Great Britain, Canada vs. China) will start at about 9am CST. [Sochi 2014]
• Gold goes to American David Wise for the men's ski halfpipe. Which, if you didn't watch it, is fucking insane. [Y! Sports]
• Meanwhile, Alex Diebold won bronze in the men's snowboard cross. Which, if you didn't watch IT, is ALSO fucking insane. [USA Today]
• And leading the women's two-person bobsled after two heats? Elana Meyers and Lauryn Williams of . . . AMERICA. Heats 3 and 4 are this morning (or, in Sochi time, this evening). [Sochi 2014]
  

OTHER SHIT:

• Nobody particularly asked for a frame-by-frame tweeting of Top Gun, but no one said it was a bad idea . . . as THIS enterprising person is proving. This is awesome. (S/T to Kate) [Cheezburger]
• Juan Marichal approves. But I sure as fuck don't. Holy shit, dude. [Deadspin]
• This woman is never allowed anywhere fucking near my closet. [Y! / AP]
  

VIDEOS:

First, an unreal spot from Team Canada regarding the Paralympic Games. I mean, it is fucking AWESOME. (S/T to Ashley, AKA "UnfakeHorribleR2D2"):

I could watch that all day.

And . . . a Japanese lady unintentionally becomes a rabbit-herder, and it is awesome. (S/T to CrossCheckRaise):

BUNNY ISLAND!

Send links:

• gtdonutking AT gmail DOT com
• @KingDonutI

I'll be rooting for America. I won't judge you if you don't . . . unless you're rooting for a Czech Republic team that couldn't bring an injured Vladimir Sobotka and left Roman Polak behind for some dumb fucking reason. Then I'll just . . . KINDA judge you.

But really . . . AMERICA.

Also, be sure to check out Beyond Checkerdome, which posts later today. We have a special guest!