Max Talbot

The Toronto Maple Leafs are currently the only team in the NHL's Eastern Conference not to sign an unrestricted free agent.

Like many Leafs fans, I spent much of the early part of July 1 feverishly checking to see if Toronto had signed anyone, then spent much of the latter part of the day angrily cursing about the lack of activity in Leaf Land.

Thankfully, sleep has provided some clarity.

During the 2008-2009 NHL season, the Philadelphia Flyers traded Scottie Upshall to the Phoenix Coyotes for then-NHL penalty minutes leader, Dan Carcillo.

"Carbomb" became an instant fan favorite on Broad Street for his aggressive, explosive playing style.

Just one week after one of the biggest shake-ups in franchise history, the Philadelphia Flyers continued to rock the NHL world on the first day of NHL free agency.

When the clock struck noon on July 1, very few things were certain. One thing that was: the Philadelphia Flyers were going to make headlines. Paul Holmgren and company certainly didn't disappoint, landing future Hall of Famer Jaromir Jagr, forward Maxim Talbot, and defenseman Andreas Lilja and dealing away winger Kris Versteeg. 

With the dust from day one settling, its time to take a look at how the Flyers fared in free agency. 

The NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this week and each first round matchup looks to provide entertaining hockey.

If that's enough for fans though, it also is the beginning of the league-wide Beard-A-Thon. It’s a tradition in the NHL once the playoffs start to not shave until either your team loses or wins the Cup.

It’s always fun to see which players will grow the biggest and best beards and the ones who can barely grow anything (we're looking at you Alexander Semin).

Prior to Sunday's afternoon matchup with the Florida Panthers, the Pittsburgh Penguins held their annual team awards ceremony at CONSOL Energy Center.

For the second consecutive year I was able to attend the ceremony that honors players for their actions both on and off the ice.

The Penguins wore their light blue retro-alternate jerseys for the special presentation and it was an extra treat for fans who happened to have tickets to the game.

For those fans who weren't able to witness or watch the proceedings, I've compiled a recap of the award winners.

Can one game in professional sports make your whole entire career a success?

If Pittsburgh Penguins forward Maxime Talbot is any indication, it sure seems that way.

The fan-favorite will live in Penguins infamy forever thanks to the fact that he scored two goals in Game 7 of the 2008-09 Stanley Cup Finals.

Not only did Talbot score both goals, but one of them was the game-winner, not to mention he was the only player on the team to score that game.

For many years, the most excitement surrounding the New York Islanders came at the end of the season.

In the 1980’s, that meant Stanley Cup Championships. 

However, for the modern-day Islanders, the end-of-the-season excitement has been about adding yet another high draft pick to the mix of young talent already on the roster.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Penguins fans will always be too sensitive when they feel their team is being unfairly attacked and Pens haters will always say the NHL goes out of their way to protect them.

In response to the  punishment handed down by the NHL to the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins after Friday's brawl-filled game, Penguins owner Mario Lemieux voiced his displeasure:

"The NHL had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport."

"It failed."

And to an extent, Lemieux has a point as the Islanders may have gotten off a bit easy.