Alvin Brant's tribute to Tim Gleason of the Carolina Hurricanes just hit you in the face like slushlee …
We don't normally go three deep with these Photoshop contest galleries, because in the past it would have meant 14 images that all relayed the same Rick DiPietro joke.
But our Create a Cheesy 1990s-style NHL Poster Contest was different. This could have been, like, a coffee table book, not unlike the one about coffee tables. Some of our usual MVPs brought it strong; and some of our new friends made a huge impact.
Gallery One is here, and Gallery Two is here.
We'll announce the winners and prizes on Friday, but remember: We've got a partnership with Heritage Hockey for this and other contests this year.
Heritage Hockey is home of Team Canada 1972 and your destination for hockey memorabilia. First Place prize for this contest: A Team Canada 1972 road jersey and a DVD copy of "'72 From Training Camp To Victory." We'll have additional NHL related prizes for the runners-up. Now head over to Facebook and "like" these guys for us.
Our sincere thanks for another great bit of diversionary entertainment during the season. Leahy and I are going to have to buy an extra sixer to judge this one, because you've made it quite difficult to determine the victors, as you'll no doubt understand when you witness the twisted genius of Puck Daddy's Create a Cheesy 1990s-style NHL Poster Contest: Gallery 3 …
And here … we … go.
Alex Flannery asks one of the most pressing questions in the history of hockey and/or literature.
Tim Goodier has visited Pominville and found it pleasant enough to send correspondence back to us. What's the population there, Rick Jeanneret?
Derek Croney gets a little too close to a movie poster contest here, but we're willing to bet you'd have found this in the 1990s on some Bostonian sci-fi nerd's wall.
Reader Nick really just demolished it with this contest, sending in a few entries that really go the whole cheesy poster vibe while also bringing the snark. Zdeno Chara, Marty Brodeur, Ville Leino and — our favorite — Mark Streit featured here.
Dan Sassone on Patrice Bergeron, with The Mayor thrown in for good measure.
Lisa captures the spirit of the Scott Harntell/Dion Phaneuf lovefest.
Kyle L. with a play on JAG featuring the Flyers and Jaromir Jagr.
Dirty Dangle with a tribute to the men who partied through the City of Brotherly Love.
Finally, completing our Philadelphia Flyers cycle, here's Pete placing Claude Giroux in the proper context.
New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist is living large, yo. Nate Gandt with the image.
Tyler Brown takes the poster idea in a different direction with this classic rock tribute, but it works.
Remember how we talked about new blood making an impact on the contest? This is Bill Krueger's work, as he envisions Ilya Kovalchuk being constructed entirely by robot lions.
And here is Kruger's Alexei Ponikarovsky tribute: "MyLittlePoni, celebrating our favorite little equine the Grind Poni (who has continued to produce despite fans like me creating things like this)."
And finally …
Mike Pick speaks to our "Star Wars" and "Phil Kessel" fetishes. FYI: He can make it from one end of the rink to the other in less than twelve parsecs. Now where's Lupebacca …