Bearded Ice – May 21

MiHockey staffer Stefan Kubus here with you on this Monday afternoon.

Quick Hits

Ann Arbor native Austin Watson is our Michi-gamer of the weekend. Check out how Watson fared in the Memorial Cup opener with London against Saint John.

The Red Wings’ Pavel Datsyuk came up with a big gold medal at the IIHF World Championships, as Team Russia defeated Slovakia, the underdog, in convincing fashion, 6-2. Datsyuk contributed with a goal and two assists.

The University of Michigan formally announced that Andrew Copp will be joining their hockey team next fall. Here’s the link.

Highlight Reel

Here’s the post-game comments from players of both Team Russia and Team Slovakia, including a Red Wing from each side: Pavel Datsyuk (RUS) and Tomas Tatar (SVK).

Outside the Mitten

Voting for round two of the EA Sports NHL 13 Cover Vote is underway on the second half of the bracket. Our very own Pavel Datsyuk is up against John Tavares of the New York Islanders. Let’s get those votes in, get Pav on the cover, and get a third Detroit athlete on the cover of a video game!

Phoenix Coyotes netminder Mike Smith notched his third shutout of the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs on Sunday afternoon, as he turned away 36 shots to help his team avoid the sweep in a 2-0 victory. Smith ties Henrik Lundqvist for the most shutouts this post-season.

For Jonathan Quick of L.A., it was his ninth straight game allowing two or fewer goals. Talk about giving your team a chance to win hockey games…

Check it out

Jamaica has a…hockey team? Check out this article. Perhaps we could have a ‘Cool Runnings Part II’ someday.

Next up

Former Wolverine Carl Hagelin continues his quest to find the back of the net in the post-season tonight, as Trenton native Andy Greene and the New Jersey Devils try to stymie Hagelin and the rest of the New York Rangers in Game 4. Puck drop from New Jersey is set for 8 p.m.

Enjoy the game and we’ll see you guys right back here tomorrow for some more Bearded Ice!