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ICE…Jimmy Howard will make his fourteenth straight start in net tonight for the Detroit Red Wings. The Chris Osgood era in Motor City appears to be over…Boston Bruin Marc Savard is currently unable to get out of bed or carry on a lengthy conversation. Pittsburgh Penguin Matt Cooke, perpetrator of the vicious hit that rendered Savard unconscious, will not be suspended. NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell, in a musing of breathtaking stupidity, opined that the fact Cooke is a repeat offender cannot be factored into the decision making process. In an aside, Campbell admitted he is unable to get through an episode of Law and Order without bothering Gary Bettman for explanations …blatant head shots, where an elbow or shoulder (or another head) are used to target an opponent’s cranium, should be immediately declared illegal…the momentum of the Olympic hockey tournament was stopped cold by the confused meanderings and obfuscations of the NHL brass on the head shot issue. The hits disgust fans and the inability of the League to enact procedural protection for its players is astonishingly short sighted. If I was a fan of the Bruins I’d be furious…

GRID IRON…the Baltimore Ravens are having a very interesting off season. The club has addressed their most significant weakness, downfield targets for Joe Flacco, with the signings of Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth. The Ravens have also inked their leading receiver of 2009, Derrick Mason, to a two year extension. The team is keeping its fingers crossed hoping Flacco can develop some chemistry with the newcomers. The Ravens as an “offensive powerhouse”? Could it happen in 2010?…the Cincinnati Bengals opted to sign ex Tampa Bay Buc Antonio Bryant instead of diva Terrell Owens…Jake Delhomme is meeting with Cleveland Brown officials this week. It appears the Browns plan to jettison Brady Quinn and move forward with a pair of new QB’s. The problem; how much of an improvement are Seneca Wallace and Delhomme on Derek Anderson and Quinn? Moving sideways or, possibly, even backwards?…the Browns paid a paltry price, a seventh round pick, for Wallace…

PUG LIFE…Fightnews has posted a fascinating interview with seventies heavyweight contender Joe Bugner. The reminiscences of the man who fought them all, from Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali to Earnie Shavers and Ron Lyle, are insightful and often funny. Before fighting Frazier, Bugner speaks of abject terror inhabiting his very soul. The dauntless stamina of Smokin’ Joe made a fight with him a mortifying prospect - ironically, the fight is one of Bugners best, with Aussie Joe staggering Frazier and nearly knocking him out in the tenth. While Bugner is dismissive of some opponents, his riff on fighting Lyle is an absolute classic - hell, it’s even painful to read about fighting the ex-con. Bugner describes Lyle as huge and brutal, constantly tormenting Bugner throughout the fight with the promise he was going to kill him. Bugner collapses after the fight and suffers from internal bleeding. The kicker is after the bout, one he loses via a twelve round decision, Bugner opts to fire his manager! No wonder Lyle found it difficult to get fights; the best way to deal with him was to avoid him…the Ron Lyle - Earnie Shavers fight, a monster of a battle, is available from time-to-time on You Tube…the Beat Poet, when into his cups, is often found hollering at screenings of today’s heavyweight titlists, “You have a belt and Ron Lyle never had a belt?” He’s bang on, there isn’t a heavyweight alive today that wouldn’t be crying and peeing blood after a bout with Lyle…Lyle is most fondly remembered for his slugfest with George Foreman, a fight always ranked as one of the top five heavyweight battles of all time. But his scrap with Muhammad Ali is often overlooked. Lyle fought brilliantly and was outboxing “The Greatest” (leading on all cards, ahead by six points on one) before getting nailed with a beauty of a right hand in the eleventh. Lyle didn’t turn pro until he was thirty years old but made the most of his time as a thrilling combatant during the heavyweight division’s toughest era…the Pacquiao - Clottey undercard is highlighted by the Humberto Soto - David Diaz lightweight fight. That’s pretty poor beer for such a big event. In earlier fights Irish punching bag John Duddy gets some stiff while ancient Jose Luis Castillo is going to be upset by Alfonse Gomez…Soto has already signed to fight Anthony Peterson in July. David Diaz is very tough but won’t be able to offer much resistance in this match-up…

PONIES…fantastic races abound this weekend. On the Kentucky Derby trail; Super Saver meets the burgeoning legend that is Odysseus in the Tampa Bay Derby, Lookin At Lucky, Nobel’s Promise and Dublin clash in the Rebel and Caracortado (Scarface in Spanish), American Lion and Interactif collide in the San Felipe. Awesome. The return of both Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta, in separate races, will also have punters swooning. Rachel has not been impressive in her works while Zenyatta totes a heavy 127 lbs, at least creating the impression the pair could be a little vulnerable in their respective races…

RANDOM…Real Madrid plus Kaka plus Ronaldo equals elimination from the knockout stage of the Champions League? Huh? While Manchester United rode the brilliance of Wayne Rooney to a resounding bashing of A C Milan, Real looked undisciplined and petulant while being eliminated by Lyon. The leaders of the Spanish League spent 340 million dollars on players in the off-season. Better results, to put it mildly, were anticipated…Ronaldo may have been upset by the Lyon player’s constant request for photos and autographs while the game was in progress…at one point he acquiesced and signed the midfielders left buttock cheek…