Hockey Toon Tuesday: The Sweater (Le Chandail) by NFB

In tribute to the holiday season, I wanted to feature a hockey cartoon with a Christmas theme. Although I couldn't find one specifically related to this holiday, the cartoon I chose does involve a gift, winter and praying to God.

The Sweater is a 1980 animated short from the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) based on author Roch Carrier's 1979 book of his own childhood experience.

It tells the story of a young boy growing up in Quebec, who outgrows the jersey of his favourite hockey team, the Montreal Canadiens, which has the number of his favourite player on the back, Maurice Richard. Noticing this, his mother orders him a new sweater by mail. When the day comes that the sweater finally arrives, the boy is severely disappointed but the mother can't understand why and forces him to wear it anyway. His eventual humiliation by other boys and his coach at the rink adds to his misery.

You might have seen The Sweater on YouTube. However, this is directly from the NFB, so the clarity is superior to what you may have watched previously. Enjoy it again, won't you?



See an updated, live-action version of The Sweater.

Hockey Holidays to All!

Hockey Music Monday: Hockey Holidays by The Zambonis

No audio or video is available for this song, so instead I'll just post a link to the lyrics and ring tone of Hockey Holidays by The Zambonis. The song is available for download at sites like Amazon.com and iTunes. You can even preview a sample of the song before you decide to buy it. For less than a dollar, it's well worth it, in my opinion.

The Zambonis - Hockey Holidays Lyrics @ LyricsTime.com

UHB Salary Cap

In the sports world, various leagues have resorted to imposing salary caps on its teams' owners to keep player costs down.

Here in the UHB, we have our own salary cap, but its voluntary. In other words, if you want one, you can buy one.

UHB Salary Cap by unitedhockeyblades
Make your own embroidered hats online using zazzle

Hockey Toon Tuesday: Pingu Plays Hockey

Here is some rare footage of Mario Lemieux, early in his Penguins' career.



Gotcha! Ok, so it's not Mario. It's actually another penguin named Pingu.

Hockey Music Monday: Away Game by The Zambonis

Here is the first repeat artist to make its appearance on Music Monday. Ladies and gentlemen, once again, I present The Zambonis with, "Away Game".

Hockey Toon Tuesday: Puck Buddies

Here are a couple of very short, animated New Yorker Cartoons, the second of which is a hilarious encounter at the end of a hockey game. While the players from each opposing team line up to shake hands, one of them utters something in passing that you woudn't normally hear in that situation.

Enjoy the first one too, which is a Gahan Wilson cartoon.