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!

Jen Zurowski, The Province Published: Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Wanted: Young, sexy, well-known female actor or singer who blushes at the sight of a guy in uniform on blades.

Halfway through the 2006-07 NHL season, overall attendance levels are down over last year and television ratings in the U.S. are miniscule.

Perhaps the marketing department should forget about tight-fitting uniforms and new rules and invest in a matchmaker to hook up a high-profile celebrity from the entertainment world with one of its good-looking, talented young players.

In other words, if hockey ever wants to reach the popularity levels of the NFL, NBA or MLB, maybe the league should borrow an idea from Major League Soccer and get its own Posh and Becks.

If you haven't already heard, British football star David Beckham signed a deal in January to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy, bringing his former Spice Girl wife Victoria and their three sons to live in the U.S.

While his talent was obviously part of the Galaxy decision, there is no doubt that the celebrity status of the couple was what sealed the deal. Good looks, ever-changing fashion styles and lavish shopping habits have attracted worldwide attention and countless numbers of tabloid and magazine covers for the pair.

And the L.A. Galaxy is so convinced that the soccer hottie (and his bony, cleavage-flaunting sidekick) will skyrocket interest in the sport that they agreed to pay him approximately $250 million US in salary and commercial endorsements over the five-year term of the contract.

It seems ridiculous, but maybe the MLS is on to something -- tabloid celebrities are a surefire way to gain widespread attention these days. When Yahoo released its most popular Internet search terms for 2006, the top 10 didn't include any athletes, events or even political leaders. Nope, Britney Spears led the pack with other celebrities like Lindsay Lohan, Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton.

So let me play Cupid and suggest a few potential couples (one NHL player, one tabloid magnet) that would be sure to attract interest to the NHL.

How about Eric Lindros and Jessica Simpson? They would make an attractive couple and conversation should be no problem -- he's been knocked in the head so many times that his IQ is on par with the ditzy blonde by now.

Pamela Anderson would make a promising match for Sidney Crosby. If the Penguins scoring sensation truly is following in Gretzky's footsteps, then he is destined to fall in love with a former Playboy model, just like No. 99.

If Britney Spears' type is anything like her ex-husband (bad boy, scruffy stubble, terrible rapper), then she should connect with scrappy Sean Avery. He's got the first two attributes and as for the third -- he's not a rapper, but he definitely has a bad rap.

A date for Calder Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin? Well, he's got that Fred Flintstone-like caveman look, so I say put a rock necklace on redhead Lindsay Lohan and hook those two up.

Unfortunately, the game itself hasn't been enough to grab the attention of Americans, so if the NHL wants to grow, a "Posh and Becks on ice" just might be the publicity hockey needs to attract some new fans.

I just hope those new fans wouldn't mean having to explain an offside to the guy in the seat next to me, watching the glowing blue puck on TV again or drinking only American beer at GM Place.

The Calgary Flames have traded their hard hat for a necktie in their post-game victory ritual this season.  Like the shiny gold hart hat and the battered green one that preceded it, the tie will be given to one of the game's unsung heroes in the dressing room after a Flames win.  It is scarlet in colour and features the Flames logo on the front and the latest team motto "All Business" stitched on the back.  In a Calgary Herald article today, defenseman Andrew Ference was quoted as saying, "It's just a fun thing - trot the guys out in front of the media and they have to wear something stupid.  But (the work ethic it symbolizes) is important, probably the most important part of our team."

 Jeff Friesen was the first to wear the tie after the Flames 2-1 win on Saturday against the Oilers.  Friesen says the Flames have a league-wide reputation as a fun place to play.  "That's what is great about the team they have here," he said.  "You always hear about the fun stuff they do.  You hear of Calgary having hard hats and growing mustaches (as a contest).  You've got to use that to your advantage, it's such a great group of guys.  In today's game, team chemistry is a huge part of having success."

That tie represents more than just the "All Business" motto of the Flames this year.  That tie represents what all the other teams in the NHL, and especially the Northwest Division, should be afraid of  - the Flames' team camaraderie.  Every year it is not the team that looks the best on paper that wins the Stanley Cup.  That unquantifiable factor is what makes the champion unpredictable - the friendships that develop, the way the team comes together, the dressing room bonding, etc.  Golf's Ryder Cup this year is a perfect example.  Looking at the teams on paper, the competition should have at least been a close one - especially with players like Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson on the American side.   But the Europeans demolished them by a margin of 18½ to 9½. Why?  The Europeans were not so much a team as a group of buds.  According to a Guardian Unlimited article: 

Westwood and Clarke are best mates. So, too, are Paul McGinley and Padraig Harrington, who take their families on holiday together. McGinley and Clarke used to live round the corner from each other. Clarke and David Howell play social golf together - £100, winner takes all. They are members of the same club. So is McGinley. Luke Donald and Paul Casey were contemporaries on the US college circuit. Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson play practice rounds together and dine together.

The Flames may start off slow out of the gate, but it will be the team spirit that evolves that will be the biggest threat to the other teams.  Especially when there are teams that will have challenges with team building like my Vancouver Canucks who have a new coach and 14 players gone from last season.

Now, back to the tie.  Here's my vote for their "All Business" award.  As a nod to the city's business community and those spoiled rich oil tycoons the city is teeming with right now, they could have sported this hat instead of the tie ...

The owners of Scottsdale's Pink Taco restaurant have their sights set on getting the naming rights to the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium.

That’s right – it could be called "Pink Taco Stadium". And we thought "The Pond" was a bad name for the Anaheim NHL arena...that’s nothing compared to using a slang for female genitalia in a stadium name. Wonder if the cheerleaders will be wearing underwear???

According to a CP story: “While Evgeni Malkin's flight to the NHL has incensed Russian hockey officials, some NHL executives are growing hot under the collar at watching their players abandon North America for greener pastures in Russia. Already the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders have lost three players to Russia this summer. Mark Gandler, the agent who represents those players, says Russia is an attractive option for "young, vibrant talent which is not properly treated (by NHL teams)."” This could create the “Cold War” of sports. How will they defend their team assets from the other country? Will they get their respective mafias involved? Or will they just start keeping their players on leashes? Eeek – on road trips, the coach would look like one of those dog walkers in the park. Photo Source