Knuckle Puck: Harry Reid, Mustached Women and NBC

Each and every weekend 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.

Earlier this week, Nevada Senator Harry Reid made it clear that he was not a fan of our game played on frozen water. Not really surprising for the Senator whose home state is basically a desert. That would sort of be like Wayne Gretzky admitting that ping pong wasn't really for him. Well, the problem with that analogy is that Harry Reid isn't the Wayne Gretzky of politics, but I digress.

Here's what Mr. Reid had to say about our beloved game:

In an interview with the Huffington Post on Thursday, Reid responded to a question about competition for the Majority Leader's position by saying, "I feel about them like I do the Stanley Cup. I could care less. Don't follow it."

Reid's lack of interest is understandable: Nevada isn't home to any major professional sports teams

Well, Christinna Wilke -- who wrote the above for The Washington Scene -- the Las Vegas Wranglers of the ECHL would probably have a bone to pick with you. I'd argue that they are professional, given their various awesome political promotions such as Rod Blagojevich Night and handing out orange vests that say "Don't Shoot ... I'm human!" in honor of Dick Cheney. Those are too funny to be minor league.

As for Mr. Reid, just for kicks, I've complied a list of other things that he "could care less" about.

Things Harry Reid also does not like:*
- Those kids on his lawn
- Young whippersnappers
- That "rap" "music"
- O.P.P.
- The ugly Jonas brother
- Jimmy Fallon (hard to disagree here)
- That Guy Who Tried to Bum a Cigarette Off Him at Lunch

* - May not be factually accurate

The Awesomest Quote of the Week
This week's Super Awesome Quote of the Week is brought to us by Another Woman. WCVB in Boston had a short article this week about the billboard the Bruins have up outside the Boston Garden that is, in fact, hilarious. It reads "Never, ever date a Flyers' fan. Even if she shaves her mustache."

WCVB did the usual local news station thing and went around asking Joe and Jane Everyperson what they thought of it. The last quote they got from someone named Another Woman is awesome.

Fans are split on the sign.

"It could be offensive to some people," one woman said.

"I go to school in Pennsylvania and they hate it, but I think it's funny," another woman said.

"I think it's very good. Imaginative," another person said.

"it's offensive to women. It means they have to shave their mustaches," another woman said.

Thank you, Another Woman. Your witty sarcasm has not gone unnoticed. Unless it's not sarcasm. Then, well, it's even more awesome.

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 ...

... NBC! If you haven't heard by now NBC and MSNBC got duped by Hockey Independent. HI ran a great satire piece of Fake NHLers gathering for a Fake NHL End of the Year Pizza Party. It was created as a fake Facebook wall conversation between the folks around the league who have a reputation for being a bit, um, tubby. But it's all in good fun. The last quote is one from "Chicago's" "Dustin Byfuglien" who wonders why the message got sent to the whole NHLPA Facebook group. And, to explain this all in the quickest way possible, here's an excerpt from the MSNBC story:

"The alleged plan was foiled when the invitation, posted on Facebook, was mistakenly sent to the entire National Hockey League Player's Associated."

Yes, that was actually reported as news by MSNBC. I think I found a nominee for the next segment of Keith Olbermann's Worst Person in the World.

So remember, next time you're checking MSNBC or NBC for real news, do their fact checking for them and make sure they didn't find the "news" on a fake Facebook page. Wait, it wasn't even a fake Facebook page. It was a blogpost with a screengrab of a fake Facebook page. Someone really needs to bring them into the 21st century.