Knuckle Puck: Don Cherry Jerseys, Naked Breakaways and Red Line Love

Each and every Saturday this season I'll be taking a look at the random happenings and absurdities that occur in the world of hockey. Feel free to suggest stories, complain or otherwise babble at me via electronic mail.

This has been a banner week for Knuckle Puck, easily the wackiest and most interesting since I started this feature about a month ago. I have so much to write about that I don't even know where to start things off. Do I go with the Kingston Frontenacs wearing Don Cherry styled jerseys? Or what about the Lightning getting kinky at practice? Then there are the folks at UniWatch showing some love for the red line, and retailer River City Sports trying to trick Islanders fans into buying Rangers hats. What's a writer to do? Well, for starters, you can follow me through the jump.

It was hard to decide upon a winner, but this week's lead story is the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL. If you thought it was tough enough for your eyes to watch Cherry's wardrobe every Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada, you would have had an extra treat on Wednesday night. The Frontenacs hosted Don Cherry Military Appreciation Night, complete with their very own Don Cherry themed suit-jerseys.

But before you wonder why the Frontenacs tried to blind their fans with such jerseys -- albeit for a good cause -- that's actually what they were trying to do. Sort of. They were trying to one-up other minor/junior teams and create the ugliest jerseys they could. No, really. That's what they were thinking when they planned this.

"Last summer, we were looking at some really ugly sweaters worn in the AHL and ECHL," said Jeff Stilwell, director of marketing for the Frontenacs.

"We thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool (to do something like that)?

Yeah, the team went out of their way to design a hideous jersey. At least they're honest about it, I guess. And auctioning off signed jerseys for charity earns them a lot of cool points, so I'll let it slide. Now the question is: do I want one of these hanging on my wall?

Heck and yes.

YouTube of the Week

The Tampa Bay Lightning decided to have some fun after practice this week ... with a naked breakaway competition!

Each player would take a turn shooting on a breakaway, and if they missed, an article of clothing was to be removed. In the video below is Steven Stamkos, who scored after only a couple misses, and if you fast forward to the 2:30 mark, Martin St. Louis trying to score in sandals. This was after the coaches left so, no, Rick Tocchet was not taking bets on the players.



Giving the Red Line Some Love

The folks at Uniwatch are exceptional at what they do. And what they do is stay on top of the goings-on in the world of athletic aesthetics. That includes uniforms, on-field artwork and pretty much anything else you can think of. This week they've one-upped themselves and posted a comprehensive guide to red lines. Yes, red lines. Those things in the middle of the ice that were made more or less irrelevant after the lockout rule changes. I never noticed it until I read the article but a lot of teams get really, really creative with the designs out there. My personal favorite is the one in Miami, where the Cats have put paw prints across the ice.

Knuckle Pucker of the Year Nominee

Each week, we'll nominate someone who deserves to be recognized for their outstanding service and commitment to giving me something to write about. By the end of the year I'll come up with some way to declare a winner. Today's nominee is...

... Online hockey apparel retailer River City Sports! Now, it's tough to put them in this category since I have ordered from them numerous times over the years, and it's always been a good experience. But this week Loser Domi at Barry Melrose Rocks discovered that the folks at RCS are trying to sell Islanders fans Rangers merchandise! How dastardly! I'm sure it's a minor typo in the page's code, but it's funny to see a Ranger hat smack in the middle of the Islander page.

Jokes I Can't Resist Making

- Well, to be honest, it's a nice gesture. Now Islander fans can feel like their team has won more than a game.
- That hat would probably sell quite a bit to Islander fans with a little bit of marketing. Just label it "Firewood."
- It could be worse. They could have posted a fisherman jersey.
- That's what happens when you hire color blind, illiterate IT guys.