Shaved Ice – Feb. 7

Mrazek gets the start. Good thing he’s got a sweet mask to wear while playing goal.

The Wings will finally give Jimmy Howard a break tonight, as they will start rookie goaltender Petr Mrazek in St. Louis. Check out the mask the AHL All-Star has been wearing this season – it was designed by David Gunnarsson.

Anybody that gets that iconic cartoon character worked into their mask is OK in my book. Fantastic.

Now in other news…

Northville native Kevin Porter is our Michi-gamer of the night after a goal and two assists for his Rochester Americans last night.

The 13th annual MIHL Prep Showcase kicked off yesterday in Trenton – see our photo gallery right here.

USCHO breaks down what the NCAA Tournament would look like if it started today, and only Western Michigan would represent our state. To put it simply, one of the other teams in the state will need to catch fire and win the CCHA Tournament if they want to join the Broncos in the national tourney.

Check out the latest edition of CCHA Now.

Blake Geoffrion insists that the terrible head injury he suffered over a year ago will not force him to retire from hockey. The former Hobey Baker winner spoke to members of the media for the first time since the injury yesterday, and had this to say:

“I know in my heart I’ll come back from this,” said the 24-year old Geoffrion. “I’ll do whatever I have to do to come back to play the game. I miss the game dearly. I’ve watched every single game of the Canadiens.” See the full story here.

Motivating stuff right here…don’t ever give up on your dreams.

Marian Hossa and Raffi Torres will be on the ice together tonight for the first time since Torres hit the former Red Wing with a check that landed him a 25-game suspension from the Shanny Suspension Foundation. Not a fan of Torres, needless to say.

Kerry Fraser explains what the ‘distinct kicking motion‘ really is for TSN…apparently it’s when you kick the puck. Go figure. I’m kidding – it’s nice to read a ref like Fraser’s interpretation of the rule.

I don’t think a description for this video is even necessary. Awesome stuff from Griffvision, as usual.

See you tomorrow.