Pucks On The Net: The Rock and Big Bird

Philly.com has a great look back at one of hockey's all time great characters - Larry "The Rock" Zeidel:

At 85, more than 4 decades removed from his last days as a stick-wielding hockey enforcer, Larry Zeidel lives most of his waking hours still inside that character, rambling on in no apparent chronological order about a modest heyday that he surrendered so much of his life to obtain. In its wake are an ex-wife and a family of four that he speaks of proudly, even while admitting he hasn't seen most of them in more than a decade.

"I've told this to Marie," he says at one point, speaking of a wife from whom he has been estranged for nearly 30 years and with whom he still shares his monthly Social Security check. "She should be in the Hall of Fame for being married to me. Because I was married to the game of hockey."

Here's the full story.

Also, David Pollak caught up with Larry Robinson and gives us a whole slew of great quotes, including how winning the Stanley Cup as a coach means more to him than winning it as a player:

“It’s probably more satisfying. After the game as a player, you go home, eat, have a beer and go to sleep. As a coach, you go back, you take your tapes and you don’t get to sleep until 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning and then you get to start all over. It’s basically two and a half months of non-stop grind.”

“It’s less hard on you physically because you’re not taking a pounding, but it’s probably twice as hard on you emotionally and mentally because your mind never stops. Basically, you don’t shut your mind off. It’s going right from first of April till the middle of June.”

Here's the full story.

Here's some quick Pucks On The 'Net:

• Congratulations to Murray Costello and Joe Sakic for their enshrinement in the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame.
• Colorado Avalanche to retire Adam Foote's #52. He was a nice player, great guy. But really?
• An interesting story about Cyclone Taylor that I guarantee you did not know about.