I’m starting to think that Patrick Sharp should just be our “logo.” (Photo: Mel Boysen/flickr)

Welcome to our newly-renamed podcast, Second Balcony Breakdown! Casey and I would like to thank Fork from HOCKEENIGHT for providing us with part of the name (the “Second Balcony” part). Seriously, go check out HOCKEENIGHT if you haven’t already. Just don’t click the links if you’re at work. You might get fired… or arrested.

Onto the topics, which include…

• Last week’s Chicago Blackhawks games against the San Jose Sharks and Columbus Blue Jackets (we already had a special podcast about the game against the Vancouver Canucks, which you can listen to here)
• Duncan Keith is a weirdo (talking about Brandon Saad‘s “big, hairy” body after the Sharks game). Check out his quotes to Brian Hedger on Hedger’s Twitter, for example.
• Lindy Ruff, and why the Buffalo Sabres are terrible
• Various games around the league, including the shitshow that was the Pittsburgh Penguins/Philadelphia Flyers game, the return of Luocho in the Canucks game against the Detroit Red Wings, and Evgeni Malkin‘s concussion in the Penguins’ game against the Florida Panthers
• The NHL’s proposed realignment plan and why it’s boring (check out my post about it)
• This week’s Line Cocktail Whoops, no Line Cocktail for this week, because we forgot. Next week’s will be a doozy to make up for this.
• This week’s question: With Detroit possibly out of the Blackhawks’ conference next year, who will take their place as their top rival?

Click the green button below to listen. One of these days, I will sound less like I’m talking with a scarf wrapped around my face while inside a tin shed. Hopefully by next week.

Download the podcast here. (Right-click and select “Save target/link as…” to download the MP3 to your computer.)