HOCKEY LAST NIGHT: DON'T BE SORRY, VOTE FOR RORY

Every time I think about back home, it's cool and breezy...

Deadspin, of course, was to this earlier and I'm kicking myself for not having found it myself: Some of the regulars at HFBoards have launched, VoteForRory.com, a website dedicated to getting Rory Fitzpatrick, a fringe player with the Vancouver Canucks, elected to the starting lineup for January's NHL All-Star Game.

On one level, it's a larf, and on another there's actually a point to be made here:

1. As James Mirtle noted a while back, there's some glaring omissions (and inclusions) on the ballot. For instance, Canadiens goalie Cristobal Huet isn't on the ballot despite leading the league in goals-against average and save percentage, since his team could only submit one goalie and put David Aebischer forward instead.
2. The NHL All-Star Game is a pretty pointless exercise and should have been permanently deep-sixed after the lockout and replaced with something more interesting... like a 4-on-4 mini-tournament... or time trials in the parking lot between Zamboni drivers.

So vote for Rory Fitzpatrick, who's so obscure I can't even find a picture of him with his current team. With the power of Deadspin's readers -- look at the way "You're With Me, Leather" took off -- this could get very interesting.

Sharks 2 Wild 1: Yipes, what does it say when a game where the winning goal went in off someone's leg was the most noteworthy game of the night?

By the way, Sharks rookie Joe Pavelski has three goals in his first four games.

Blackhawks 2 Stars 1: No one thought the Hawks would be much better in Denis Savard's first game as head coach, but hey, they snapped a 15-game winless skid against Dallas and handed Marty Turco his first career loss against Chicago.

Predators 3 Flyers 2: Philly d-man Mike Rathje became the latest player to prove the old adage that the goalie never bails you out when you give it away in your own zone. Paul Kariya picked off Rathje's, uh, ill-conceived pass with a little more than five minutes left and fed Martin Erat for the game-winner.

Tonight's better games: Leafs-Thrashers, 7 p.m.; Canadiens-Hurricanes, 7 p.m.; Panthers-Sens, 7;30 p.m.; Avs-Oilers, 9 p.m.

That's all for now. Send your thoughts to neatesager@yahoo.ca.