About six months ago, I wrote about hockey needing a celebrity couple to attract US attention to the sport due to its low TV ratings. New York Islanders Centre Mike Comrie is rumoured to be dating pop star/actress Hilary Duff. Could this be the couple the NHL has been waiting for?

Before I answer that question, let's talk about celebrities that date outside of their industry. It's so interesting to see how they react to being exposed to a whole different type of fans. Hilary's used to teeny boppers trying to dress like her and screaming and fainting at the sight of her. But with a boyfriend in the NHL, she's being exposed to hockey fans now too. And passionate hockey fans are a whole different sort...especially angry ones. After Comrie refused to sign a contract with the Edmonton Oilers before the 2002-03 season for personal reasons he refused to disclose, he became one of the most hated Oilers in team history. Whenever he returns to Edmonton, Oilers fans always BOO him whenever he touches the puck. With hockey fans all of a sudden taking notice of the pop queen, she sensed that she might get attention from more than just her Duff-loving fans when she visited Edmonton this week on her current concert tour. Those Edmonton fans don't forget those who diss their city (Pocklington and Pronger for example) and I suspect that Hilary was worried that as the girlfriend of a hated ex-Oiler, she wouldn't escape the wrath of the Oilers fans. So, she decided to kiss a little Edmonton ass. And so, this week in Edmonton, she donned a paper hat and apron and dished out food to the homeless. Hilarious.

If we look at it the other way around, Hilary's fans are now getting to know Mike Comrie as well. But this is the reason I don't think this celebrity couple will not be the one to change the interest level in hockey. Somehow I don't think the exposure to teenage girls is going to save the NHL.

Although...imagine if it did. What if hockey became uber-popular with the teen girl crowd? Oh my Lord...we'd have to wear ear-plugs to the games to protect our ears from the high-pitched screams, they'd replace the beer stands with stands selling Bratz dolls in hockey jerseys, and we'd have to endure seeing our hockey stars in gag-inducing poses on posters from Tiger Beat magazine in school lockers. AHHHH.....please, no!

It stinks in my house. And it's not because I've forgotten to empty the garbage or my cat has just delivered a present in his litter box. We have a skunk problem. Pepe and his wife Penelope seem to have taken up residence under our deck and have taken to spraying the house. Alas, if only I could repel my striped little friends with the ease that Edmonton has in repelling NHL star players! As I'm sure you've already heard, Ryan Smyth was nabbed by the Islanders away from the Oilers before the trade deadline last week. What is going on in Edmonton? It seems as if they've had some devastating losses of franchise, face-of-the-team players at unexpected moments over the years. Remember when Gretzky was unexectedly dealt to Los Angeles during the off-season back in 1988? Then there was Messier after Gretzky. And how about Pronger this past off-season? Now Smyth. Is it Rexall Place? It is one of the oldest and smallest arenas in the league. Is it the cold winters? The average temperature in Edmonton in January is below -10 Celsius. Or is it just these players' large salaries that cause the trades? Whatever repellent is in the air in Edmonton, someone please bottle it so I can try it on my skunks.

In the dressing room after a game, the Calgary Flames have the 'all business' tie that the players give to the guy they voted was the hardest working on the ice. And it looks like the Oilers have this ugly fur-collared jacket called the 'ugly coat' for the same purpose (see Ryan Smyth below).

Do any of the other NHL teams have a dressing room award like this?  If not, here are my suggestions for the other Canadian teams:

The Canadiens
A top hat and cane in honour of the singing frog from the Looney Tunes cartoons.  Quite appropriate, I think, for a frenchie (also referred to as 'frogs') that is the 'unsung hero' of the game.  "Hello my honey, hello my baby, hello my ragtime gal..."

The Leafs
A sun t-shirt for the player who made such a difference that, like the planets around the sun, the game practically revolved around him.  Perfect for a Torontonian who thinks they are the centre of the universe, no?!

The Senators
For the political capital of our country, a mask resembling Canadian politician Belinda Stronach for the player who was a 'maneater' out on the ice.

The Canucks
I think the Canucks should have an umbrella hat - representative of our rainy weather here in Vancouver and because the player worked so hard he should be "showered" with praise.