The NHL in 366 - Green Men, Yellow Mustard

At this point, most everyone in the hockey world knows who The Green Men are. And for whatever reason, they seem enjoy taunting the Nashville Predators slightly more often than the rest of the league. I ran across this earlier tonight, courtesy of @22Sedin33's twitter feed; a screen shot taken during a game against the Canucks in December.

via Twitter

I can't decide if I like their jabs at the interesting color choice of Nashville's home jerseys or the look on Jerred Smithson's face better.

Wait...what am I saying?! I definitely love the look on Jerred's face more. I think we can call that "emotion" disdain.

The NHL in 366 - High Jump

Last night's game between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Nashville Predators was not locally televised so I tried to catch some of the "action" by scrolling through some pictures this morning. I ran across this gem, that probably mostly features Jordin Tootoo, but I was drawn to Colin Wilson far more.

Photo by John Russell/NHLI via Getty Images

Look at that vertical leap! I know moves like this can happen quite often during a game but usually, it's not captured in a picture. The athleticism of NHL players continues to amaze. 

Bonus points if you can spot Kristin Cavallari and fiancee, Chicago Bears (and former Vanderbilt) quarterback,  Jay Cutler, in the crowd. Unfortunately, neither look like they could care one bit about what's going on in front of them.

The NHL in 366 - Hockey for Royalty

 I often hear the phrase "hockey is for everyone". While that is most likely true, some times the sport is better left to the professionals and/or the kids taking part in the game. This video highlights Prince William's efforts at taking penalty shots during a street hockey game; part of his Canadian tour with new wife Catherine Middleton, in the summer of 2011. 

Not that I can guarantee I'd do any better when faced with the same challenge, I'd say it's probably best that Prince William stick to something more in line with whatever it is the royals do.

The NHL in 366 - Soft and Comfy Octopi?

This year I spent Christmas with family in the southwestern Michigan/Chicago area. It was definitely ripe with merchandise for both the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings. I found myself gravitating towards the Blackhawks gear (I can't lie, it was pretty nice, but I promise I didn't buy anything!). The Red Wings stuff...well, as usual, I could barely look at it. However, while strolling through a store looking for after-Christmas sales, I ran across something I couldn't quite believe. There, in a giant bin, was a rather large pile of Red Wing-clad purple octopus pillows. 

After the initial WTF moment, I knew I needed to share this strange find with the world. Obviously, someone felt like there was a market for something like this. Though, judging by the amount of pillows I saw in the store, maybe even Red Wings fans think this idea is a little ridiculous.

The NHL in 366

Okay, so I'm a little late to the New Year's party; two days to be exact. However, in the spirit of the occasion, I've decided to revive my blog and start a new daily feature I'm calling "The NHL in 366". Inspired by those daily photography projects that so many people start at the beginning of each new year, I will try each day to feature a new photograph, video, or some other media form that I'm feeling from around the NHL or hockey world in general.

Today's picture comes from yesterday's Winter Classic. Courtesy of Buzzfeed's "16 Beautiful Photos From The NHL Winter Classic", this picture makes me feel like I'm in the stands with everyone else at Citizens Bank Park. The black and white exposure (created through an infrared camera) adds a sense of immediate nostalgia, which is what the Winter Classic is all about.

Photo via Getty Images

Add it to the bucket list: See the Winter Classic live. That would be perfection.