Hit and Run: Oh, it’s hockey playoff time, is it? I hardly noticed.

If you guessed 87 as the number of minutes the Pens spent in the sin bin Sunday, you'd be terribly close. (Photo: Getty Images)

You can blame the Leafs’ freefall from playoff contention on this, but I’ve been suffering from hockey fatigue. And so, you’ve been without an NHL Playoff Preview, and for that I apologize.

It seems I haven’t missed too much actual hockey, if the Pittsburgh-Philly series is any indication. The Flyers took a commanding 3-0 lead in the quarterfinal series with an 8-4 win Sunday over the Pens, a game highlighted with more Pier 6 brawls in a single afternoon than I’ve witnessed in recent memory. Someone want to remind Crosby that he should be using his stick to score goals, not whack Bryzgalov’s glove? Ugh. Thankfully, there’s a nice cooling off period for these guys – they don’t meet again until Wednesday.

Because good things come in threes, there’s three Game 3’s happening tonight: the Rangers are in Ottawa, Boston visits Washington and San Jose hosts St. Louis. Each series is tied 1-1.

Now let’s talk baseball…after the jump.

Advent Calendar of Hotness: Day 16

I can't decide which part of the picture is more hilarious: the Whalers jersey, Pronger's mullet or Burkie.

With the news that Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Chris Pronger is out for the remainder of the NHL season, I figured fans of the Dryden, ON native might appreciate a post devoted to the Stanley Cup Champion-Olympic gold medalist-all-around devastating presence on the ice. Suffice to say that Pronger is no angel – he’s made his own negative impact on a few hockey careers. And this doesn’t necessarily mean his career is over…yet. But nobody likes to see a career shortened on account of a head injury, or any injury for that matter.

The dialogue on head injuries in the NHL has always been simmering, and I for one would love to just see this boil over already. In the last week, we’ve seen Claude Giroux, Jeff Skinner and a number of other players sidelined on account of head injuries – this, not long after Sidney Crosby put the brakes on his comeback after an 11-month hiatus, and not long after these revelations about Derek Boogaard. Habs legend, former Leafs president and former MP Ken Dryden wrote a thoughtful essay on the issue for Grantland this week that’s worth a read. I just hope Bettman read it too.

Oh…photos! I forgot this was about Pronger!

Your 2011-12 NHL Hotness Preview: Atlantic Division

You may call him Captain Pronger. (Getty Images)

The first opening faceoff of the regular season is just a few days away, which brings me a small comfort as Sabathia struggles against the Tigers (as I type this…so many sighs…) Here’s a quick look at what we think is exciting about the Atlantic Division:

Quick & Dirty NHL Playoff Preview: Part Two

Gratuitous Steve Yzerman in a suit. He's practically playoff-ready. (AP Photo)

Congratulations, Oilers fans! You win Ryan Nugent-Hopkins! I’m just relieved it wasn’t Boston who won the Draft Lottery. But I digress.

We looked at the first five quarter-final series last night. Now here’s a glance at the games starting on Thursday.

The NHL Playoffs of Hotness: Round 2

Ovi is the new Hendrix. That, or he's testing his Jedi mind powers to move matter.

Readers, you have raised my eyebrows. Sid the Kid, knocked out of the first round by Flyer Mike Richards. Steckel, running away with the votes in his tiebreaker against RYAN KESLER (and NO, Raven, that baby photo was not a ploy ;))

The Divisional Semis are complete. Round 2 heats up with eight fellas worthy of Blanche Devereaux’s attention (rest in peace, Rue). Make your choice after the jump now through Sunday at 8PM Eastern.

The NHL Playoffs of Hotness: Round 1

Imagine: if we were writing this 30 years ago, we likely would have included him.

Now that we’ve given away the hardware for this year’s NHL Playoff Beards Awards (props to Raven for her excellent research once again), we bring you the NHL Playoffs of Hotness.

This works just like the NBA edition. Vote for the hockey hottie you love. We’ll narrow down the choices bracket-style over the next couple of weeks. Thanks to our readers for their suggestions on such short notice! Don’t worry: we’ve included a few guys from the Stanley Cup finalists Chicago Blackhawks and Philadelphia Flyers.

You have until Monday at 8pm Eastern to cast your vote. Yes, we’re making our readers work hard these days!

Hit and Run: Full of Poop

Yes, the Ladies… have been a bit busy this week. I’m home early for the long weekend so that I can be present while my septic tank gets cleaned out. I can barely watch without stifling a gag, but such is the life of a homeowner in the quasi-sticks. Better than paying property taxes in town, I keep reminding myself.

Yeah, I'm still not speaking to him.

Let’s kick off H&R in fitting style with this latest crap about Brett Favre. It seems that during a pep talk for the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, he stated that if they could make it back to the College World Series, he’d return for one more season in the NFL.

Here Comes Round Two! (Sadly, Ovie-Free)

A couple of weeks ago, Raven and I delivered to you our first round NHL Playoff predictions. For the most part we were correct, but I can’t help but feel a little guilty about my Cup winner prediction. Did I jinx Ovi and the Caps?

Sadness. (Photo: Getty Images)

Maybe? Habs fans were screaming in the streets of Montreal Wednesday night like they were headed to the Final. Is it a good time to tell them that they’re facing the Pens in the next round?

I checked in with Raven Thursday morning, and all things considered she seems to be OK (and fortunately she didn’t have car trouble on the way home Wednesday, although if she had, Mr. Laich could have been of assistance). Her colour of mourning is red and she wishes to be consoled in the arms of one Ryan Kesler. (BTW, Ryan, if you’re not too busy, can you see me when you get a moment? I hit my elbow on the towel rack this morning and could use a hug.)

At any rate, here’s how we see the second round of the NHL playoffs playing out.

Your 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs Preview

So Lady Bee and I have decided to do the preview for the 2010 playoffs.  Since we’re the hockey fiends, we figured we’d do a fun roundtable discussion of predictions and hotties.

Follow us after the jump for some knowledge and eye candy!

Your 2009-10 NHL Hotness Preview: Atlantic Division

Even hockey players watch football to pass the time. Sadly, you won't be seeing this trio of hotties at any Eagles games anytime soon.

As Lady Bee told you yesterday, we here at Ladies… can’t wait for the NHL season to finally start, so we’re doing some previews for those of you who feel our pain!

Today I’ll be previewing the Atlantic Division.

Our Year End Hump Day Hottie Spectacular!

Chances are you’ll be reading this in 2009. That’s okay. It’s a holiday and you were preparing yourself for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. But if you are reading this in 2008 then let’s go through a review of what happened this year. Specifically what happened every Wednesday of this year. Yes, we’re going to be taking a look back at the Hump Day Hotties that have graced our blog in the ’08. Why? Because how could you not want to take a trip down memory lane and remember Ryan Lochte?

So let’s go back through the year that was and enjoy our hotties one more time before we sing “Auld Lang Syne.” And if you’re reading this in 2009, remember when Lochte was so smoking in 2008 he made the Ladies… HDH? Yeah, that was awesome.

The Tampa Bay Lightning Are Electric

Who says the off-season in the NHL is boring? The Tampa Bay Lightning are poised to make a strike at becoming arguably the most exciting team in the NHL, and they’re sparing no expense. From the top all the way down, they are adding quality and hotness across the board. Follow me after the jump to learn see why.

Hump Day Hottie: NHL Eastern Conference Finals

Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. It’s double the dose of HDH. Why? Well, why not? And as I have nothing else to add here except words for the sake of having words, let’s get to the all Pennsylvania final.

You know we’re starting with Crosby, right? Yes, I’m that predictable.