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Three (News) Stars of the Week: Bryzgalov makes us think, Bolland makes Vancouver mad, and concussions make the NHL...woozy?

Bryz

“Three (News) Stars of the Week” will run every Friday. It’s our way of acknowledging the week’s big NHL stories that gave us lots of page views, thereby increasing PHT’s attractiveness to advertisers.

Third star: Ilya Bryzgalov is a unique character

HBO’s “24/7 Flyers/Rangers” series debuted this week. Despite strong performances from John Tortorella and Ryan Callahan’s plucky grandmother, there was no question who stole the show. Philadelphia’s eccentric goalie had viewers questioning their very existence while philosophizing on the enormity of the universe and inferring we’re all but a tiny speck compared to what’s out there beyond our own measly galaxy. He also had a stern warning for anyone who was thinking about traveling to China to kill a tiger.

Second star: Dave Bolland knows how to stir it up

The Blackhawks’ pesky checking forward was already a villain in Vancouver. Then he went on a Chicago radio station and called the Sedin twins “the sisters” and the city they play in full of “weirdos.” Not surprisingly, his comments struck a nerve with Canucks fans, whose nerves seem to be struck quite frequently. Bolland eventually clarified his comments, saying they were “tongue-in-cheek” and that he had the “utmost respect for the Sedin twins”…even though they sleep in bunk beds.

First star: Concussions are a hot-button issue

Chris Pronger is done for the season. Claude Giroux is out now. So is Jeff Skinner. Sidney Crosby hasn’t played since suffering a setback. Any other concussion victims? Yep, lots of them. Including Milan Michalek, Mike Richards, Kris Letang and Marc Staal. Never before have brain injuries affected so many of the NHL’s stars at the same time. The league is pleading for calmer heads to prevail, but the concussed heads are the ones making the headlines.