FanHouse Sweden

Whether or not you like the shootout, I think we can agree that one gift it has given us is some sweet highlight reel goals. The most recent of these goals comes to us from a friendly game between Sweden and Switzerland. The game ended up going to a shootout, with Sweden's Linus Omark (a fourth round pick of the Oilers in '07) pulling this move. He grabbed his pitching wedge and chipped the puck right over the sprawling goalie. Video after the jump.

The Hives seem to be trying to get a lot of mileage out of cross-promotions with the NHL. It was only a few weeks ago that the Swedish band got a gig playing the NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta (pictured above). As it turns out, while the band was in Vancouver a week ago, they stopped by GM Place to play an impromptu game of shinny against three Swedes on the Canucks -- Daniel and Henrik Sedin and Alexander Edler Markus Naslund:

We know damn well that Sweden's Hives rule the live stage, but what about the ice rink? Determined to find out, the photogenic fivesome journeyed late last week from one frozen northerly land to another, Canada (where, okay, they also happened to be touring), to put a hockey challenge before three Swedish members of the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.

The February 22 afternoon contest at General Motors Place went down just prior to the Hives' gig that evening at the Commodore Ballroom, and was organized (and documented) by record-making liaisons Canadian Recording Services.

Somehow, amid the clattering of sticks, the swooshing of air, and the slicing of ice skates, the Hives managed to put up five against the highly-trained Canucks. But, alas, it would not be enough, as the professionals-- though outnumbered-- emerged with a 6-5 victory over their garage-rocking opponents.

Judging by the photo, a good time was had by all.

The last time Georges Laraque took a stand on NHLers playing hockey in Europe, he became the Mitt Romney of hockey pugilists: Flip-flopping when circumstances warranted a change in opinion. It was during the lockout, a time when Laraque vehemently opposed NHL players taking jobs away from Europeans in overseas leagues. That was, of course, until Laraque decided to sign with AIK of Stockholm in the Swedish Elite League. "Whether I agree or not, I'm not the most talented player in the NHL and I don't want to lose the whole year of hockey. That's not good for me," he told the Edmonton Sun.

With his Pittsburgh Penguins preparing to ship out to Stockholm for a double-header against Ottawa to open next season, Laraque has again opined about the NHL in Europe, making it clear to Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he believes the League is wasting its time:

"Spending money to go play in Europe is not doing anything for the NHL in the United States," Laraque said. "We're talking about wanting a bigger market for hockey in the U.S. What are we going to accomplish by going to Europe? What are we doing? The league needs to do better work to make the game popular in the U.S."